Sasuke's Twin
by YukiTenVianey Team
Summary: He had lost all motive and will to live. Alive by hatred alone, it seemed. His life changed when she came back, but it wasn't meant to last for long. When the final battle arrives, will he lose everything over again?
1. 01 Sweet Little Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other character that is mentioned here

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other character that is mentioned here. All I own is my mind full of ideas and the paper where I write this fanfic._

**Chapter 1**

**Sweet Little Sister**

"Looking for someone?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm?" The girl turned and looked at him blankly.

They where standing on front of the Uchiha compound, that creepy place where the Uchiha clan had been murdered years ago.

The girl looked directly into his eyes. Her charcoal black eyes, as dark as her hair, where cold and indifferent, yet somehow, he couldn't help but thinking that she looked a little sad.

"Are you looking for someone in there?" He asked again, pointing to the place where the Uchiha once lived.

"Well…" Her eyes softened, sadness dwelling on her face now.

"Well?" Naruto asked, giving her a sympathetic grin, his sapphire blue eyes gleaming beautifully under the sunlight.

She looked down, wrapping her dark blue sweater tightly around her shoulders, even thou it was a hot afternoon.

Looking at her now, she wasn't dressed like all girls he knew. Her pants didn't stop before her ankles like normal pants did. Instead, they where down to her heels, making him wonder if she didn't tripped on them when she walked

Her shoes weren't open at neither the front nor the back, they weren't ninja shoes.

The only thing that made her look like a kunoichi was the headband tied on her forehead… if it was real, because instead of the Konoha symbol, it had a snowflake carved on it, he had never seen one like that.

But the strangest thing about her was that even thou he had never seen her before, she was oddly familiar.

Hinata was the only brunette in Konoha, but her hair was short and her eyes white. This girl's hair was long and hung down to her shoulders. And her eyes… no other girl had those black eyes.

"Is…" She began, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Is there anyone living there?" She pointed towards the Uchiha compound with her black gloved hand.

"What?! Haven't you heard what happened to the Uchiha clan?"

Pain reflected on her eyes, but she did not look away from him.

"I have. But…"

"Well, there is that idiot who survived. But only one."

"Just… one..?" Her eyes went wide. "Bu-but who…? Do you know him?"

Naruto grunted, his life would be far easier if he didn't know him.

"Uchiha Sasuke" He replied frowning. "The 'Last survivor of the Uchiha clan'"

His voice was sarcastic, mocking the voice of those who often repeated Sasuke's nickname with interest, making him feel small and worthless.

"U- Uchiha Sasuke?" Her lips pulled into a tiny smile, all sadness had now left her face.

"Do you know where to find him?"

"Heh! Today's your lucky day!" He felt relieved for her smile, two seconds ago, she could have started crying.

"He's on my team. Right now, they're waiting for me just two blocks ahead. If you want to see him, I can take you there."

"You would? Oh, thank you!"

"Let's go then."

Naruto's eyes seemed to be glued on her feet as they walked. It wasn't until he was sure the girl wouldn't trip on her long pants that he finally looked up.

"By the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto" He introduced himself. "You should learn it, because someday, I will become Hokage!"

"Nice to meet you Naruto-san." She said "My name's Sadako."

"Sadako… I like your name, but there is no need to be so formal."

"I'm sorry. Is Naruto-kun better for you?"

"Yeah, that's better. Over here."

They had reached the place where the rest of squad 7 was waiting. Sasuke was standing just ten meters away with his back turned at them.

"Oi! Sasuke no baka!" Naruto yelled "There's a girl who wants to see you!"

Sakura turned around immediately to look at Sadako, but Sasuke turned slowly, cursing Naruto on his way.

"What the fu…"

His words stopped as soon as he saw Sadako next to Naruto.

"Sa- Sadako?"

Sadako smiled at him and nodded. Sasuke then started to laugh (wait, laugh?) and ran towards her.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out. She made a grab for his hand, but Sasuke was already out of her reach. Air was the only thing she caught between her finers.

Sasuke's hands wrapped around Sadako's waist, lifting from the ground, then he threw her up in the air and she fell straight on his arms.

Sadako put her arms around Sasuke's neck and buried her face on his chest.

Sakura's face was red form anger. She grabbed Sadako's shoulders and puelled her back from Sasuke, then turned her so that they where facing each other.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled on Sadako's face. "Sasuke-kun is MINE!"

Next thing she knew, Sasuke pushed her back and grabbed both of her wrists.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Growled.

His face was so angry, it was scarring her.

"You're… hurting me" She gasped. Sasuke's grip on her wrists tightened even more.

"Don't you EVER touch my sister again!"

Kakashi sensei's eyes went wide. Sakura uttered a soft cry. Naruto fell wide eyed on the ground.

It was then that Naruto realized, he had never asked Sadako's last name.

--

Sasuke was completely mad now, and all because of Sakura.

_The nerve of some people. _He tought. How could this slut dare to touch his sister, the only person he held dear. The only person he had left.

_Sasuke-__kun is mine! _He mocked Sakura in his head. No matter how many times he ignored her and turned her down, she will keep stalking him no matter where he went. The phrase _I'm not interested _had come from his mouth so many times that it seemed to have lost it's meaning. It didn't even sounded like English anymore.

And to top things up, why was everyone staring stupidly at Sadako? Was it so hard to believe that he had a sister?

"Your sister…" Naruto mumbled "Sadako-chan, you didn't tell me you where an Uchiha!"

"I forgot to tell you…" Sadako's gaze dropped.

"She didn't have to." Sasuke said defensively.

"Well!" Naruto continued. Completely ignoring Sasuke. "Now I know why she looked so familiar."

"But, Sasuke-kun… you never told me you had a sister." Sakura said. Her voice sounded hurt.

"And why the hell would I have to tell you?!"

"Sasuke!" Kakashi broke in.

"What is it."

"How old are you?"

_What kind of stupid question is that? _He wondered, pushing locks of black hair out of his eyes. _Everyone knows my age._

"Fifteen. Why?"

"Hm." Kakashi nodded, then turned to look at Sadako.

"Sadako, wasn't it?"

"Yes sir."

"How old are you?"

"I… I'm fifteen… why?"

"I thought so!" Kakashi said in triumph.

"Wait…" Sakura said thoughtfully. "If you both have the same age, then that means you are…

"Twins." The Uchiha siblings said in unison.

_Brilliant deduction baka. _Sasuke thought.

How could they have not noticed it before, they were identical twins. He was a handsome black haired Shinobi. She was a beautiful black haired kunoichi…

_Wait… kunoichi? _He looked at the headband on Sadako's forehead, wondering when she had become a ninja. But there would be plenty of time to ask that later.

The only difference between them was gender and their height. Looking at her, Sadako was about three inches shorter than Sasuke. Their eyes where different too.

_Hold on a minute…_

Sasuke took Sadako's chin and gently lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes. Charcoal black eyes stared back at him.

"When did…" his memory drifted back to the time when her eyes where always red… red and bleeding.

"We'll talk about it later." She said shyly.

_Talk._

She was talking. She had just spoken to Kakashi and Naruto too. Back then, she wouldn't utter a word to anyone but Sasuke.

"Sensei. Do you think I can skip on training today?"

"I'm sure your sister can wait three hours to be with you." Kakashi answered.

"But, sensei." Sadako said. "I've waited almost ten years to see him."

"Whoa! Ten years?! Did you hear that sensei?!" Naruto yelled at Kakashi "C'mon! Don't be so mean, let them go!" He pleaded.

Sasuke couldn't help but to thank him this time. He knew Kakashi would do anything to stop Naruto from shouting.

"Ok, ok. Sasuke, Sadako, you may go."

"Yeah!" Naruto jumped up and down, as if it was his own sister who came.

"Just tell me something Sadako." Kakashi said looking at her head band. "Where do you come form?"

"From the village hidden in the snow."

"That's very far away. Almost a year if you travel by sea." Kakashi tough out loud.

"Can we go now?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Wait!"

The twins turned to see Sakura with a guilty look no her face.

"Before you go" She said. "Sadako, I'm… sorry.

--

"So, what do you want to do onee-san? Do you want to take a walk, or…"

"Onii-san." Sadako interrupted him. "If you don't mind, I've been traveling for about a year. All I want to do is rest a bit."

"Let's go home then." He grabbed her hand and they started walking towards the Uchiha compound.

"I'll cook dinner for you onee-san. Do you like meat?"

"Yes. Of course."

Once at home, Sasuke went to the kitchen to prepare dinner while Sadako stared trough the window blankly.

"I'm sorry if this place brings you bad memories." Sasuke apologized as he put two plates of steaming hot meat on the table.

"It doesn't." she said smiling. "I never really saw this place, so I can't remember what it was like."

--

After dinner they got up to Sasuke's room. The one they shared when they where little. But there really wasn't much choice back then…

"It's ok onii-san, I can sleep somewhere else." Sadako said when Sasuke told her where they where going to sleep.

"I'm afraid the other rooms are empty. The furniture is gone."

"What happened to the furniture?"

"I had to toss it away because it was… full of ants."

_Because it was all covered in blood. _That's what really happened to the furniture. After the Uchiha slaughter, everything was covered with that foul liquid. But he couldn't tell her that. It would only make her sad. And him too.

"Are you sure I can sleep with you?"

"Of course you can onee-san. We use to sleep in here before, didn't we?"

"Yes, but we where five year olds back then. I'm not sure if we can both fit in your bed."

"Of course we can. There is plenty of room in here."

"Ok." She sighed. "But I have to change up first."

Until now, he hadn't noticed that Sadako had been carrying a backpack all along.

He waited for her to return. Expecting to see her with that fluffy pink pajama and bunny slippers that she loved to wear back then.

Instead of that, Sadako came back wearing a thick, dark blue pajama. There where no fluffy read hearts on her fluffy pink pajama. There weren't even bunny slippers, his sister was bare footed.

It was until then that he realized, they weren't kids anymore. He had grown to be strong, and so had Sadako. He couldn't imagine how much she had suffered, wherever she had been. But she was stronger. Her eyes weren't bleeding anymore. She could speak to people other than him. She could walk on her own.

She had grown from the shy five year old that he had last seen to this beautiful girl who was standing before him now. So confident. So strong. She might not need him anymore.

But then she lay down next to him and smiled at him with sleepy eyes. She got close to him, just like when they where children and she would seek his protection from the darkness she was so afraid of. And it was then that he realized nothing had changed. They where still siblings. Still the Uchiha twins. Still those two persons that not even distance would take apart.

Still together.

He stroke her dark hair with his left hand. No matter what happened in the future, he will still be there for her. Even if she didn't needed him anymore.

_I will always be next to you…_

_No matter what…_

_My sweet little sister…_

--

_Glacia: sorry if this chapter was too long, I just never thought it will reach the sunlight._

_Vianey: we had so many ideas, it was hard to pick one from all that pile._

_Glacia: I hope you liked it, Vianey and I worked really hard to make this possible._

_Ten: just the two of you? Whatever happened to hard work?_

_Glacia: is the only phrase you wrote hard work?_

_Ten: it was a good idea._

_Vianey: but Ten, all you did was call Sakura a slut._

_Ten: well, I wanted to call her something else._

_Glacia: can't you have a gram of decency?_

_Ten: but I hate her (and you)_

_Glacia: what did you say?!_

_Vianey: That's enough you two! I know our story is a little twisted, but still, I hope you enjoyed it._


	2. 02 Remember

It's here

_It's here! It's here! It's finally here! __The second chapter. We got two reviews last time. Very few indeed, but it was more than I've ever hoped for. So to thank all of you, here's a new chapter explaining Sasuke and Sadako's past._

**Chapter 2**

**Remember**

"Please Sadako-chan, stop crying." Three year old Sasuke begged. "If father hears you, he'll get angry again."

Every time Sadako cried, father hated her even more, but it wasn't her fault to be in so much pain.

She was a shame to the family. The rejects of the Uchiha clan. But it wasn't like that when they where born.

Sasuke's eyes where the usual charcoal black, but Sadako's eyes were a little bit… different.

Blazing eyes. Red as blood. She was born with Sharingan, the eye technique that only those in the Uchiha family could use.

"She was the Uchiha's pride." Itachi once told him.

Yes, they used to love her back then.

But things were different now. Sadako couldn't control the Sharingan. She could not stop it from working.

It took the strength from her, made her weary. Wore her eyes down until they bled.

So she sat on her room every day, with her bleeding eyes heavily bandaged and her pale little face no longer smiling.

Sasuke went to her room every day. It hurt him to see his beloved sister so sad, so he made it his special mission to bring a smile to her face.

"Sadako-chan." He would say, holding five fingers before her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three." She would guess.

"No fair, you cheated!"

"I did NOT!"

"Let's play again. How many fingers?" Ten fingers up.

"Two!"

"You're peeking!"

"I'm not!"

Sadako would then start to laugh. It didn't mattered if Sasuke had lost on purpose. Seeing her happy was all that mattered.

Sometimes she had enough strength to walk out of her room and into the garden. And sometimes in rainy days, she would sing next to him.

How he loved her voice. Even if she couldn't speak really well as a three year old.

She was afraid of everyone, so she never spoke to them, not even Itachi.

Sasuke was the only one who ever got to hear her songs. Her voice.

But Sadako wasn't singing today. She was crying, and in so much pain.

"It hurts so much." She muttered to Sasuke. Drops of blood began to drip on the floor as Sadako winced in pain.

"Let me see." Sasuke took Sadako's hands away from her face. The sight was horrible to him.

The bandage covering her sick eyes was soaked in blood. The red liquid ran down her cheeks, mixing with Sadako's tears of pain.

"Stay here!" He commanded and ran out of the room.

He kept running down the hall and stopped on front of the nearest door.

"Itachi!" He yelled, banging on Itachi's door. "Onii-san!"

"What is it?" Itachi asked coming out of his room.

"It's Sadako-chan! Come quickly, she's…"

Sadako's scream sounded like daggers on his ears.

Both Itachi and Sasuke ran to Sadako's room as fast as they could.

They found her on the floor, twisting in pain while father looked down at her in disgust.

"Crying again, huh?" He said coldly, grabbing Sadako's hair and pulling her up. "You really ARE the Uchiha's shame."

"Let her go!" Sasuke shouted as he started to run towards them. He knew father was bigger and stronger that him, but it didn't mattered. He couldn't let him hurt Sadako.

Father released Sadako as Sasuke punched his right side.

"You little idiot!" He yelled, kicking Sasuke out of the way.

Sasuke landed heavily next to Itachi.

Father turned to Sadako and raised his fist against her.

The blow was caught on midair by Itachi's hand.

"What are you doing?" Father's face was red from anger.

"Can't you see she's hurt enough?" Itachi asked, kneeling next to Sadako.

"It's none of your business!"

"Of course it is. She's my sister and I won't let you hurt her."

"She can't stay here anymore!" Father hissed. "We can't allow this worthless **thing **to live here. She's only wasting our time!"

"Please, let her stay!" Sasuke begged.

"There's no room in this place that she can stay at!"

"She can stay in my room!" Sasuke offered.

"We won't waste any food feeding her!"

"Then I'll give her half of my food every day!"

"She's sick!"

"Then we'll take care of her!" Itachi answered, cradling Sadako on his arms.

"Fine! You can keep your stray dog, but if she ever comes out of your room Sasuke, both of you damned twins are out of here!"

As father stomped angrily out of the room, Sasuke realized something. This was the first time anyone had accepted the fact that they were twins.

--

Itachi and Sasuke cleaned Sadako's eyes and applied medicine on them.

"It'll never get better if you keep covering your eyes with that thing." Itachi told her as Sasuke handed her a clean bandage.

Sadako looked at Sasuke with her tired red eyes.

"It's to stop the blood." He answered, wrapping the clean bandage around Sadako's head to cover her sick eyes.

Sadako whispered something on Sasuke's ear. Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"Sadako wants to tell you something." He told Itachi.

"What is it?" Itachi was confused.

"She says 'Thank you onii-san'"

--

"No, please don't!" Five year old Sasuke begged. "You can't take her away from me!"

He stood on front of Sadako, protecting her form those who wanted to take her away.

"But, Sasuke." Mother said kindly. "They're sending her to someone who can heal her eyes. It will only get worse if she stays here."

"I don't care! No one will help her, they'll just hurt her even more!"

He wrapped his arms around Sadako so that they couldn't snatch her away.

What were they thinking? They were the Uchiha twins. Taking Sadako away would be like taking half of his life.

"Sasuke, stop acting like that!" Father yelled "They will train her to be a good kunoichi, that's all!"

Two men stood at his sides and tried to pull Sadako away from him.

"No!" He pleaded.

How he wished for Itachi to save them this time.

'_Itachi!' _He wanted to shout '_onii-san! Help us!'_

But Itachi was out on a mission. There was no one to save them now.

"Sasuke." Sadako whispered on his ear. Her voice so faint that he was hardly sure to have heard it.

"It's ok onii-san." Her voice was sad. "I'll take care of myself. You've done enough."

"But… onee-san…" He was trying very hard not to cry.

"It's ok. Let me go." She pushed him gently away from her. "Thank you for everything."

Sasuke could only watch as the men grabbed Sadako's hands and led her outside. There was nothing he could do now.

--

"Where's Sadako?" Itachi asked once he returned from his mission.

"She's gone." Sasuke told him.

"Gone? Gone where?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me. They just took her away."

"Didn't you try to stop them?!"

"I did, but she wanted to go!" Sasuke's eyes were glassy.

"Well." Itachi sighed. "Wherever she is now, I just hope she's ok."

Ever since that day, Itachi had changed.

He never wanted to be around anyone, not even Sasuke.

He was cold and distant.

He forgot his family. He forgot his friends. He forgot Sadako.

He forgot to smile.

And then that terrible day came. The day when the Uchiha clan was whipped out.

--

Sasuke woke up just as his dream turned to blood and fear.

He looked around, but Sadako wasn't there.

What happened to her? Had it all been a dream?

"What's that smell?" He wondered sniffing the air.

He went downstairs and found Sadako on the kitchen. She was already dressed up, making him feel dumb for being still on his pajamas.

"What are you cooking onee-san?" He asked Sadako, who was holding a tray.

"I baked cinnamon cookies." She smiled "Do you still like them?"

Sasuke's mind drifted back to the time when they were four year old. Cinnamon cookies were their favorite.

"Do you still like them onii-san?" She asked again.

Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"I love them."

_Nothing has really changed._

--

_Vianey: Sorry for making you wait so long, I just had a lot of work to do, but the second chapter is done, expect the third one very soon._

_Glacia: I'll like to thank those people who sent their reviews and those who added our story to their favorites._

_Ten: But they were only 4 persons._

_Vianey: So what? I wasn't expecting anything._

_Ten: Well, at least this time Glacia can't say I didn't help._

_Glacia: Ok, ok. You helped us this time. But you have to admit, I wrote most of the story._

_Ten: Big deal. So what. I wrote the part of Sadako's bleeding eyes._

_Vianey: And I, um… I wrote the part of the cinnamon cookies._

_Glacia/Ten: ??_

_Vianey: But I like cinnamon cookies!_

_Glacia/Ten: We know._

_Vianey: Ok, we're out of here. Please read the story and tell me what you think. Any comments are welcome._

_Vianey: Just a quick note, when you review, you can refer to me as Vianey, Yuki Glacia, or Ten. They're not my friends, they're alter egos._


	3. 03 The Uchiha Twins

Ok people, the third chapter is here

_Ok people, the third chapter is here. This one's full of secrets, misunderstandings and my so loved cinnamon cookies._

**Chapter Three**

**The Uchiha Twins**

Sadako felt a little uncomfortable walking down the streets of Konoha. Anywhere they looked, people stared at them with curious eyes.

Girls looked in dismay when they walked by. They kept staring at Sasuke's hand holding Sadako's.

"Why is everyone looking at us?" Sadako asked her brother.

"Just ignore them." He said as they passed next to a bunch of girls who were whispering to each other and pointing at their joined hands.

"Where are we going onii-san?"

"No where, really. Just taking a walk."

Konoha was a beautiful village, full of stores and buildings. Anywhere she looked there was something new. Something she'd never seen before.

"What are those?" She asked as they turned a corner.

There, outside a store, stood buckets of little colorful things. The morning breeze carried their soft smell to her nose.

"T-those? Those are flowers." He answered. His eyes wide on surprise. "Have you never seen a flower before?"

"Well." She blushed. "There aren't many flowers on the land of snow."

Sasuke's expression changed from surprise to concern.

"Was… was it hard to live in there onee-san?"

Sadako looked down at her own right arm. Memories bumped into one another inside her head. Memories of snow and ice. Blood and suffering. Memories of death.

"Can we buy some?" She asked changing the subject.

"Sure, but let's find another flower shop."

"Why? This one looks fine to me!" And with that, she walked inside the flower shop.

"Irasshaimase!" A blond girl greeted from the counter. Her blue eyes matched the bucket of blue flower she was holding.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke had walked into the store, his eyes stone cold.

The blond girl set the bucket on the counter and ran towards him.

"So nice of you to pay me a visit!" She said, wrapping her arms around Sasuke's neck and almost climbing on his back.

"Get off me!" He growled.

The girl backed away from him and grinned.

"So, what brings you here?" She asked. "Came to buy some flowers for me? That's ironic, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" Sasuke looked pissed. "I just brought my sister, she wanted to buy some flowers!"

"Your sister?" As if by reflex, she turned to face Sadako.

"You're Sasuke-kun's sister?" She asked. "Oh my God! You look so much alike!"

She jumped next to Sadako and studied her features.

"You look like Sasuke-kun with long hair!" Perhaps she was exaggerating a little. "Let me guess… you are twins, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, we are." The girl's enthusiasm was scaring Sadako.

"Sasuke-kun, you never told us anything! I had no idea!" She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yamanaka Ino."

"Nice to meet you." Sadako shook hands with Ino. "I'm Uchiha Sadako."

"Sadako? That's such a pretty name!" Ino walked back to Sasuke. "If your sister wants flowers, you came to the right place!"

Ino reached into a bucket and pulled out a pink rose.

"This is for you." She said, handing it to Sadako. "Pink flowers mean friendship. I hope we can become good friends."

"Oh. Thank you Ino-san." Sadako's black eyes sparkled with joy. She'd never seen something so beautiful.

_Konoha has many kind people. _Sadako thought as they walked out of the flower shop while Ino waved good bye to them.

--

"Did you know Sasuke-kun had a sister?" Ino asked Shikamaru and Chouji as soon as she saw them.

"A sister?" Chouji asked through a mouthful of chips. "He never said any thing about it."

"I know. I had no idea either. I just found out today when they visited my family's flower shop." Ino had to stop a few seconds to catch her breath. "And I haven't told you the best part yet. They're twins!"

"Hey, that's pretty cool." Chouji said.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. "As if we didn't had enough women in Konoha. And it's even worse if she looks like Sasuke."

"And what do you know lazy boy?" She sneered at Shikamaru. "I'm going to tell Tenten about it."

In her hurry, Ino tripped on her own feet and landed heavily on the floor.

Shikamaru and Chouji both laughed until Ino kicked the air out of them.

--

"A twin sister?" Neji asked thoughtfully. "How do you know that?"

"Because Ino told me." Tenten answered, throwing a kunai towards Rock Lee who easily dodged it.

"And how would Ino know that?" Lee asked.

"Because," She sighed. "Sasuke and his sister stopped at her flower shop early this morning."

"Whoa, I'll sure like to see her!" Lee said on a rather high voice. "Yet another opponent to challenge!"

"BAKA!" Tenten slapped the back of Lee's head. "Is that all you can think about?"

"Still." Neji finally said. "It'll be interesting to meet her."

"Eh? Really?" It was strange to see Neji interested about something. "Let's go see her then."

"We can't, we have a training session today." Rock Lee reminded her.

"Drat! I forgot about it.!

"Did Ino told you her name?" Neji asked.

"Oh, yeah. Let's see, it was something like Sakuko… Sakako… no, Sadako!" She finally concluded. "Uchiha Sadako."

No body noticed it, but at that moment, there was only one thing on Neji's mind.

_I have to tell Hinata-sama about it._

--

"So, what do you thing of Konoha?" Sasuke asked once they were back home.

"I think it's very beautiful." She answered. "It's so warm and… full of life."

"Thought you would like it." He grinned. "But speaking of warm, aren't you hot wearing that sweater?"

"no. Not at all."

Once again, Sasuke noticed Sadako's eyes drop to her right arm.

"What's the matter onee-san? Does your arm hurt?" He reached out to take a look at her arm.

"No!" She jumped back hastily. "No. I'm fine, really."

Why did Sadako looked so nervous? It bothered hem. Somehow, he knew there was something wrong with her. Something se wasn't telling him.

He knew she was hiding something, but decided not to ask. If se was the same Sadako he'd loved so much ten years ago, she would tell him sooner or latter.

So he decided to ask something he was curious about.

"Onee-san." He said, braking the awkward silence that fell when Sadako jumped away from him. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Dressed how?"

"Well, your pants are too long and your shoes are different from mine."

"My pants are long because the land of snow is cold and for that same reason my shoes are different." She answered. "Sometimes, I had to walk knee deep in snow. If your toes are exposed to such temperature, they would freeze and break apart. That's why my shoes aren't open toed like yours. They're supposed to keep my feet warm."

"How cold is the land of snow?" Sasuke asked.

"32º bellow."

"What? That cold?" He was shocked. "How can anyone actually live in there?"

"You get used to it after a while." She replied simply.

Sasuke tried to imagine himself living in such a cold place. Walking knee deep in snow with frozen toes, but the only thing that came to his mind was the image of a frozen boy covered with snow.

"Anyways." He shook his head to make his frozen vision disappear. "Why are you still wearing gloves? It isn't cold in here."

"My, you are so curious today onii-san." She giggled.

Sasuke blushed.

"I just wanted to know."

"Can I ask you something onii-san?"

"Go ahead."

"Is Ino-san your girlfriend?" She asked, fidgeting with the pink rose Ino had given to her.

"What? No way!" He was completely disgusted, how could his sister think something like that?

"Why not?"

"She's so ugly and annoying!"

"I think she's pretty."

"Well, maybe. But she's still annoying!"

"Then, is the pink haired girl your girlfriend?"

"Of course not!" If Ino was bad, Sakura was even worse. "She's even more annoying!"

"Then, you don't have a girlfriend?" She asked.

"Why are you so interested about that?"

"Because all the girls in Konoha turn their heads to look at you. I noticed it this morning. And since the pink haired girl said 'Sasuke-kun is mine…"

"I don't know what's wring with them!" Sasuke sounded desperate. "They're all crazy! They keep stalking me no matter where I go!"

The truth was, they really scared him sometimes. Not that he would let anyone know it.

"All Konoha girls are whores." He said coldly. "Just remember that."

"All of them?" She asked.

"Well, except Hinata." He blushed. "And maybe Tenten."

Oh poor Sasuke, there was something he didn't knew.

Sadako had never heard the word "whores" before. Se completely ignored what it meant.

--

Naruto spotted Sasuke's sister outside a grocery store. She was looking curiously at the man selling cotton candy across the street.

"Hey!" He called out to her. "How you doing Sadako?"

"Oh, Naruto-kun. It's so nice to see you again."

"I see you remembered my name."

"How could I forget the Hokage's name?" She asked shyly.

Naruto had never thought to hear such words, and specially not from an Uchiha.

"Hey, thanks!" He said, his grin as sparkly as his eyes. "So, where's Sasuke?"

"He's inside there." She pointed towards the grocery store. "Onii-san wanted me to bake cinnamon cookies, but we were out of cinnamon, so we came to buy some more."

"You think I can have some cookies when you're done?" He asked, almost tasting the cinnamon.

"Of course." She said. "It'll be an honor to bake cookies for the Hokage."

Sadako seemed to be very convinced about Naruto's words. She really believed he would be the next Hokage.

"Hey, are those hats?" She asked, looking at the cotton candy man from across the street.

"No, those are cotton candy!" He laughed. "Don't tell me you've never tasted cotton candy before."

Sadako shook her head.

"What? But, that's like a sin against nature!" Naruto said. "Don't worry, I'll buy you one so you can taste it."

"Oh, no. it's ok, I was just curious about it."

"C'mon, you won't say no to your next Hokage, will you?" He asked, leaning closer to her. He smelled like something bittersweet.

"N-no, of course not."

"Ok, then." And he walked across the street to buy the cotton candy.

--

Sakura and Ino had been rivals since academy days, but for this mission, they had to join forces.

They'd both figured the only way to get closer to Sasuke was being Sadako's friend. Seeing how much he loved her, they could be close friends with him too.

Whoever got to Sasuke's heart first, would be the winner. It was that simple.

"Sadako-chan, what a coincidence!" Ino said, even thou they had been following her.

"Ino-san, I didn't expect to see you here."

"It's nice to see you again." Sakura said.

"Oh, um…" Sadako didn't know her name.

"I'm sorry, how very rude of me." Sakura slapped her forehead as if she'd forgotten something very important. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Nice to meet you Sakura-san."

"So, where's your brother?" Ino asked.

"He's inside buying cinnamon."

"Can I ask you something Sadako-chan?" Sakura said. "Has Sasuke-kun said anything about us.?"

"Well, he did say something." Sadako answered. Poor little Sadako.

"Oh, really?"

"What did he say?" They were both eager to know.

"He said 'All Konoha girls are whores'."

Sakura and Ino stared blankly at her.

"Did… Sasuke-kun say that?" Sakura asked breathless.

"Yes, that's what he said 'All Konoha girls are whores, except Hinata and Tenten'."

Ino was clenching her fists.

Sakura was about to punch Sadako down when Naruto came back holding three bags of cotton candy.

"Here you go Sadako." He handed her a ping cotton candy. "I hope you like it."

"Th-thank you Naruto-kun." She was wondering why the girls were staring at her like that.

"Ready to go onee-san?" Sasuke asked stepping out of the grocery store.

"Yes. We'll se later, ok?" She waved good bye at them.

"Don't forget about my cookies!" Naruto reminded her.

"I won't forget it." She said walking away with Sasuke holding her left hand.

"Ain't she sweet?" He asked turning to Sakura and Ino.

"Do you want some cotton candy?" He offered them. "But you have to eat the blue one because the purple one's for my Hinata."

"You and your Hinata can both go to hell!" Sakura shouted, then stomped angrily away.

"And Tenten to!" Ino yelled, marching behind Sakura.

"Tch. Crazy." Naruto mumbled, shoving a fistful of cotton candy into is mouth.

--

"Try this." Sasuke handed her a large orange sphere.

"What is it?" Sadako asked.

"An orange. It's a fruit."

Sadako held the fruit close to her face and smiled.

"What's funny?" Sasuke asked.

"The orange smells like Naruto-kun."

"What was that baka saying about cookies?"

"He said to save him some cinnamon cookies."

"But onee-san, those are my cookies!" He said childishly.

"Don't worry. I'll bake enough so you can eat as many as you like."

As they walked down the street, people turned their heads towards them.

Thanks to Ino and Tenten, now the entire village knew about them.

"Look." They heard someone whisper. "The Uchiha Twins."

--

_Vianey: I really hope you like this chapter. It's my first fanfic so please understand if it sucks._

_Glacia: Until now, the story has been full of shattered memories, but it will become easier to understand later._

_Ten: Also, our next chapter is where the action begins. A kunoichi showdown between Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sadako!_

_Glacia: Thanks a lot for telling them Ten. Now they know what happens next._

_Vianey: Well, at least that way our readers will know something good is coming and they might keep reading._

_Glacia: I would be easier if you could stop writing about cinnamon cookies!_

_Vianey: Sorry._

_Ten: Does Sadako still have the Sharingan eye? Is she a good kunoichi? Does she suck on the battle field? Would she get beaten up by Sakura? Keep reading and you'll find out!_

_Vianey: Before we go, I'll like to thank the only two persons who reviewed our fanfic. Thanks a lot Tsuki Ho Hime and Sailor Sky Blue. This wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for you._

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you!_

_Vianey (holding a tray): Cinnamon cookies anyone?_

_Glacia/Ten: NO!_

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	4. 04 Kunoichi Of Ice

Fourth chapter's here

_Fourth chapter's here. Listen, I know I'm not __such a good writer and some words aren't written as they should be. But please understand, this is my first fanfic. If you could give me any ideas to be a better author, I'll truly appreciate it._

**Chapter Four**

**Kunoichi Of Ice**

"A test?" Sadako mumbled. "What kind of test?"

"Kakashi sensei wants to know how strong you are." Sasuke told her. "That way, he can accept you in our team and we can go to missions together."

"How strong… I am" She repeated absentmindedly.

"B-but you don't have to do it if you don't want to." Sasuke immediately said. "If you don't want to fight, I'm sure Kakashi will understand."

The truth was, he didn't really wanted Sadako to take the test. There was nothing that scared him more than the fact of his sister getting hurt.

"Its ok." She said bravely. "I might not be so strong, but I'm not that weak either."

'_Not that weak'_Her words swirled around his head. That didn't meant she wouldn't get hurt. It only meant that she wouldn't get **killed.**

"Who do I have to fight onii-san?"

"I'm not sure. He'll call all Shinobi of our age and ask who wants to challenge you."

"Are they strong?" She asked.

"Well… yes, I think so."

He mentally searched for someone that could fight Sadako. It had to be someone weak, otherwise she might get hurt.

Naruto? _No _he answered himself. _He might be an idiot, but he's still got the Kyuubi inside him. _He imagined Sadako being hit by the Rasengan. _No, not Naruto. _He decided.

Sakura? No. That girl had over human strength. She could turn Sadako's bones to dust. _Not Sakura. _

Shikamaru? Perhaps. She would still lose to him because he was a genius, but his Kagemane no jutsu wouldn't not hurt her as bad.

Ino? Maybe. As long as Sadako never stopped moving. Otherwise, she would be caught by Ino's Shintenshin no jutsu.

Chouji? _No Way!_ His Nikudan Sensha would stop her flat.

Kiba & Akamaru? _Two against one. _And they could tear her apart if their Tsuuga attack hit. _Out of the question._

Hinata? He was sure Hinata wouldn't hurt Sadako, but then again, Hinata would never volunteer to fight someone.

Shino? _Are you nuts!? _It would definitely not be Shino.

Neji? He almost killed his cousin during the Chunin exams. _Please, don't let it be Neji._

Rock Lee? _His taijutsu is strong. _He remembered the fight they'd had three years ago. _Not him._

Tenten? Konoha's weapon mistress. He imagined Sadako being stabbed by a thousand kunai. _ Think again._

But there was no one left. Damn! They were all so strong. There was no one she could beat easily.

"Don't we have to go now?" Sadako asked, snapping Sasuke back to reality.

"What? Oh, yeah. Lets go."

--

Kakashi and the others were waiting for them in the forest, next to the river. Kakashi introduced Sadako to the rest of the Shinobi. They all told her their names. They were all so kind to her.

"Look at them" Sakura told Ino. "They think she's so sweet."

"Yeah." Ino agreed. Her words filled with poison. "I bet they wouldn't like her that much if she wasn't Sasuke-kun's sister."

They both frowned as the Hyuuga cousins smiled kindly at her. She'd just called them Hinata-sama and Neji- sama because _Onii-san says the Hyuuga clan is the strongest one in Konoha. _

"What a way to draw people's acknowledgement." Ino sneered. "Nothing better than licking their shoes."

Sakura nodded.

"So, are you gonna fight her?"

"Yeah." Sakura smiled an evil smile. "I'll teach her just who she called a whore."

"I'd fight her myself." Ino laughed. "But I'm afraid you hit harder."

"Damn right!" she agreed, brushing pink strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Let's start the test." Kakashi said on a high voice to be heard over the shinobi's chattering. "Who wants to fight Sadako?"

Silence. Only Sakura raised her hand.

"I'll do it sensei." She said on her most innocent voice.

"Ok. Sadako?" He pointed to a clearing in the forest. "Would you mind standing over there? Your test is about to begin."

Both girls stood on the clearing facing each other.

_Finally. _Sakura taught. _I can get my revenge on this brat._

"You should put on your headband." Sadako told her.

"Tch. Like I will need it!" Sakura bragged loud enough so that everyone will hear it.

"Just a second." Sadako said. She pulled out a ribbon from her pocket and picked her black hair on a ponytail. "The hair gets in my eyes."

She hadn't finished tying the ribbon when Sakura reached into her kunai pouch and threw a kunai directly at her.

Sadako had no time to move. They kunai hit her left forearm. A few drops of blood prayed form the wound, but Sadako didn't even winced in pain.

"What are you doing?" Tenten yelled. "She had her guard down."

"Well, it's not my fault!" Sakura replied.

Sadako finished tying the ribbon and it was then that she finally seemed to notice the wound.

"Oh?" She mumbled, pulling the kunai out of her arm. "Have we started already?"

**Inner Sakura: WTF? What'****s wrong with her?**

Sakura gathered chakra on her fist and ran towards Sadako.

_This is all I need. _She thought. _One hit will be enough to bring her down._

She threw a fist trying to hit Sadako's face, but Sadako put her right arm on the way.

Crack!

A sickening snapping sound echoed through the forest.

Sakura let out a cry in pain. She pulled her fist back and was about to hit again when Sadako's fist crashed on her forehead.

Sakura flew back and hit against a nearby tree.

"Sakura, get up!" Ino yelled.

She tried to, but her head was throbbing as if it had life of itself. It felt like her skull had cracked were Sadako hit.

She held her fist, all four finger were busted. What was wrong with Sadako's arm? Sakura was strong, she could break stone walls with a single blow, but Sadako's arm didn't even look hurt. There was something unnatural about it, otherwise it would have been shattered to bits.

Sakura opened her eyes. Sadako was standing jus a few meters away from her.

"I told you to put it on." She said, picking Sakura's headband and tossing it to her. It had fallen off when she hit Sakura.

There was something different about her voice now. It wasn't sweet and kind. It was cocky and strong.

"I… don't… need it!" She spat, trying to keep her voice normal.

A wave of dizziness swept through her when she tried to stand up. She bent down and threw up, her head hurt just so much.

"We can stop if you want to." Sadako offered. Her voice sounded kind again. "We don't have to…"

"Shut up!" Sakura shouted angrily.

She regained her balance and looked at Sadako.

"I'm not loosing to you!" She screamed. "I'm serious!"

"Hey Sakura, try not to get killed!" Kiba joked.

"We're fighting seriously?" Sadako smiled and closed her eyes.

"What's funny?" Sakura was getting angrier every second.

"Nothing is." Sadako answered. She opened her eyes again.

Crimson red orbs stared into Sakura's green eyes.

The forest echoes with gasps, no one but Sasuke knew Sadako could use the Sharingan, and eve he was shocked.

"You think that scares me?" Sakura laughed. "This isn't the first time I've seen eyes like those."

She couldn't hit Sadako again her left hand was swollen and using her right would only break four more fingers.

**Inner Sakura: Who cares? Let's kick her ass, shannaro!**

She attacked Sadako again, but this time se was carefull to avoid her right arm.

Sadako dodged every hit easily. Sakura kicked and punched as hard as she could, but it was no use.

Sadako too a step back and tripped over a root that was sticking from the ground.

"Gotcha!"

Sakura kicked her hard on the stomach. Sadako flew back and landed head first on the ground.

"Onee-san!" Sasuke was about to run into the battlefield when she got back on her feet.

"Nice hit." She said, wiping blood form her mouth. "I didn't even saw it coming."

**Inner Sakura: What the hell is this bitch made of?**

Sakura tried to kick her again but Sadako jumped into the river.

"That won't save you!" Sakura followed her and jumped into the river too.

Sadako disappeared before her own eyes and the next thing she knew, Sadako had knocked her to the ground.

Sakura laid on her knees, half of her body inside the water. She tried to get up, but her legs failed.

Sadako jumped and began making hand signs.

"Ice style, Freezing Beam Jutsu."

Cold air blasted out of her mouth and hit the river. Sakura was still inside the river when it froze and turned to ice.

"Fuck!" Sakura pulled her arms and legs trying to break free, but it was no use. "She froze the whole damned river!"

Sadako jumped again and threw a fist at her direction. Sakura closed her eyes, expecting to he hit any minute.

Crack!

The snapping sound came again, but Sakura felt no pain.

She opened her eyes and found Sadako's fist buried in the ice. The frozen river broke apart and Sakura was released form the ice prison.

"What are you doing?" She asked weakly.

"I think that's far enough." Sadako answered, helping Sakura to her feet.

"But…" Sakura mumbled.

"Being a good kunoichi is not about reckless fighting." Sadako looked away. "It's about knowing when to fight or when to stop."

Sakura lost her balance and fell. She reached out to grab Sadako's hand, but all she did ws pull off her black glove.

Sakura looked up and gasped. Sadako's hand was smooth and transparent, as if it was made of ice.

Sadako took back her black glove and put it back on.

"What is…"

"Please." She begged. "Don't tell Sasuke about it."

--

"Congratulations!" Sasuke said happily. "I just talked to Kakashi sensei, he was so impressed with your fighting style, that form now on you're part of our team."

"Do you think I'm a good kunoichi?" His sister asked shyly.

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke asked. "I'm so proud of you I could cry!"

"Really?" "Sure! I'd never seen ice ninjutsu before, it's so cool!"

Sadako smiled. To him, her smile was the sweetest most beautiful thing in the whole world.

Sasuke reached out and held her face between his hands.

"You never told me you could use Sharingan."

"I thought it was pretty obvious." She answered.

"Are you ever going to tell me how your eyes got better?"

"Well…" She looked down at her right arm then shook her head no.

"Then tell me, how did you managed to stop Sakura's blow?" He looked curiously at her. "You even broke her hand."

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"C'mon, we all heard when her fingers snapped, besides, her hand was swollen."

"I'm not sure, I just put my arm on the way."

"Then what's your arm made of?" He laughed. He stopped smiling when he noticed Sadako's horrified expression. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Suddenly, they heard someone knocking on the door.

"I'll get it!" Sadako jumped up.

She opened the door. Naruto and Hinata were standing there.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled as soon as he saw Sadako. "That was a great fight you had today!"

Hinata smiled sweetly at them. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

"Good night Hinata." Sasuke smiled politely, then turned to Naruto. "What are you doing here baka?"

"Your sister promised me some cookies." He grinned.

"Oh, that's right!" Sadako remembered. "Wait here, I'll go get them."

She ran into the kitchen and came back holding a package.

"Here you go." She handed the package to Naruto. "I hope you like them."

"Thanks." He smiled.

Hinata offered them a small package wrapped with blue ribbons. Sasuke took the package and looked inside.

"I- I baked chocolate muffins." She said. "A-and, I w-wanted you to h-have some."

"Thank you Hinata." Sasuke's eyes were cloudy.

"You'll like them no doubt." Naruto grinned. "My Hinata is the best cook in all Konoha."

Hinata turned bright red.

Sasuke's heart ached. She looked so cute when se did that.

He'd always thought Hinata was the prettiest girl in Konoha. She was the only girl he'd ever liked.

But she'd always been in love with Naruto, she'd never had eyes for anyone else. It took the baka three years to realize she had feelings for him, but when he finally noticed it, he was overjoyed.

Now he walked with her through the streets of Konoha, holding her hand and calling her _My Hinata_. That was how he called her so that everyone would know how much he loved her.

It mad Sasuke's heart ached whenever he heard Naruto called her that. He wished Hinata would like him instead of Naruto. He wished she was **His** Hinata, not Naruto's.

"Onii-san!" He heard Sadako calling him.

"Huh? What is it?" he blinked. "Where's Naruto and Hinata?"

"They left a while ago."

"When? They were standing just here."

Sadako put her hand to Sasuke's forehead.

"Are you feeling ok?" She asked worriedly. "You just waved good bye to them."

"I did?... oh, yeah. I did!" He laughed. "I was just kidding."

"Well, it wasn't funny." She frowned.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." He apologized.

"Can we go to sleep now? I'm really tired."

"Sure."

--

Sadako woke up on the middle of the night. She checked to make sure Sasuke was sleeping, then tiptoed to the bathroom and locked herself inside.

She took out her blue pajama shirt and looked into the mirror.

Her right arm, from the tip of her fingers to her shoulder was smooth and transparent. It was made of ice.

"At least it hasn't spread lately." She whispered to herself.

--

_Ten: Heh, did you like it? I spent hours writing about the battle and thinking how it would look better._

_Glacia: All that hard work and it still looks so mediocre._

_Ten: Hey, don't insult my work! I put my heart and soul into it._

_Vianey: As far as I know, you don't have a soul._

_Ten: Oh… that's right. I keep forgetting about it._

_Glacia: Hum, it still looks like something that anyone could write._

_Ten: Oh, yeah? Then what about your ninjutsu? That Freezing Beam Jutsu sounded an awful lot like Pokemon._

_Glacia: And what do you know about ninjutsu immortal queen?_

_Vianey: Enough! Your work was good. (It could have been better) but it's still good._

_Ten: Ok, maybe I overdid it. I think Sakura didn't deserved all of that rough handling._

_Glacia: Ok, so my ninjutsu didn't sounded so good._

_Vianey: And maybe I exaggerated choosing Hinata-sama to be Sasuke's first love, but I just love NaruHina, and I couldn't let Sasuke to fall for Sakura._

_Glacia: Anyways, thanks a lot for reading._

_Ten: We really appreciate it._

_Vianey: See you later._

_Glacia: Don't you think we're getting on people's nerves appearing at the end of every chapter?_

_Ten/Vianey: We don't really care! (It's not like anyone reads this part anyways. ºº)_

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	5. 05 Us

Here's the fifth chapter at last

_Here's the fifth chapter at last. __I would have updated sooner but I just have a lot of work to do, and sometimes I get discouraged thinking that my fanfic sucks (it actually does, but I don't care!) It's better than spending my weekend watching the same Lord of the Ring movie (although I really love doing that XD.)_

**Chapter Five**

**Us**

It was a beautiful morning, the sky was clear and the sun fell warm upon Konoha's forest.

"All done." Sakura told herself.

She stood up and picked a basket full of medicinal herbs. Tsunade-sama needed those as ingredients for new medicine.

A soft breeze blew through her bubblegum pink hair, messing it up. She pushed locks of hair away from her eyes and the bandage on her hand brushed against the bandage on her forehead.

Sakura clenched her fist, it still hurt a little.

After the fight against Sadako, her hand and forehead had been swollen but thanks to her ability as a medic ninja, they didn't look so bad now.

Tsunade told her the pain will go away soon. She'd taken a serious hit when the chakra in her fist backfired. Since she couldn't break Sadako's arm, the chakra found no way out and it bounced back against her own hand.

The swelling was gone and her fingers had been put back in place, but her skin was still purple due to the unshed blood.

Sakura heard someone coming. She looked up and was surprised to see Sasuke running towards her.

"Sakura!" She heard him call out.

As he got closer, she could see Sasuke carrying Sadako on his back.

**Inner Sakura: C'mon, aren't they a little old for that?**

"Sakura!" He called as he got closer. "We need your help."

"What is it Sasuke-kun?"

"Where's Tsunade-sama?"

"She's on her office, why?"

"Thanks!" He ran pass her without even stopping. "I owe you one!"

As he ran away carrying his twin, Sakura felt something wet splash against her face. She reached out to clean it and found her fingers tainted in red.

"Blood?"

_Not just any blood. _She realized. _Uchiha Blood._

--

Sasuke burst inside Tsunade's office with a desperate look on his face.

"Tsunade-sama, I need your help!" His face was red and he was gasping for air.

"Eh?" Godaime had been taken by surprise.

"Please, I need your help!" He cried again. "SadakoishurtandbleedingandIdon'tknowwhattodoyouhavetohelpherohpleasehelpher!"

"Sasuke, calm down!" Tsunade told him, it wasn't like Sasuke to act like this. "If your sister needs medical attention, we have to take her to the hospital.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" He urged. "My sister's dying in here!"

"I'm fine." Sadako told him. "It doesn't hurt, really."

"Don't worry onee-san, Tsunade-sama will help you!"

Sadako just sighed and stared at her brother.

_Onii-san, you're overreacting._

_--_

Sakura stepped inside the hospital room were the Uchiha twins were being helped by Tsunade-sama.

"Now tell me, what happened to Sadako?" Tsunade asked Sasuke.

"We were training in the forest." He explained. "Sadako jumped and landed on a patch of grass, we didn't knew there were makibishi spikes in there. She landed on them and now her feet are hurt."

"Makibishi spikes?" Tsunade got closer to Sadako's bed. "Let me see."

She lifted Sadako's right foot and Sakura uttered a soft cry.

The makibishi spikes had gone through her shoe and were buried deeply in her skin. Blood slowly dripped from the wounds and splashed on the floor.

Tsunade looked at her feet and frowned.

"I suppose" She told Sadako on a serious voice. "that you tried to walk after stepping on the spikes, didn't you?"

Sadako blushed and nodded.

"That was very careless of you!" Tsunade scolded. "If the spikes were on your shoes, it wouldn't be so serious, but now it's gonna be very hard to pull them out of your skin!"

"It wasn't her fault." Sasuke said defensively. "She just jumped out of the grass to avoid stepping on them again."

"Jumped?! And landed on her feet again?!" Tsunade shook her head. "You're lucky the spikes didn't got inside her skin!"

"Will you just help her already?!" Sasuke was getting impatient.

Tsunade stared at him blankly.

"Ah, yes! Sorry, I got carried away." She apologized.

"Sakura!" She heard Tsunade call. "Bring me that tub of water and some clean bandages.!"

"Ok."

"Shizune, bring me some healing ointment!"

"Hai!" Shizune ran out of the room to find the ointment.

"This might hurt a little, but I need you to stay very still, ok?" She told Sadako.

"Ok."

Tsunade used her chakra to grab the spikes and pull them out of Sadako's feet. It was a hard task since thy were buried deeply and Sadako's shoes kept getting on the way.

Every time Tsunade pulled a spike out of her skin, blood streamed from the wound. Tsunade would then use her chakra to close the wound and stop the bleeding.

Sakura remembered her fight against Sadako. When the kunai hit her arm, Sadako hadn't even winced in pain. The same thing was happening now. Tsunade kept pulling the makibishi spikes form her feet, but Sadako didn't seem to notice it.

She didn't cried, she didn't winced, she didn't sobbed or gasped or screamed like everyone did.

She just sat there, with a bored look on her face while Sasuke held her left hand. Pain and despair were reflected on his eyes, it was clear how much he care about his sister.

Once the spikes had been pulled out, Tsunade took out Sadako's shoes and finished closing the wounds. She took a clean bandage soaked with water and began cleaning Sadako's feet.

The door burst open and Shizune stepped inside.

"Here's the healing ointment." She handed Tsunade a small bottle.

Sadako's feet were healed and covered with bandages. Sasuke's face finally returned to normal.

"Can I take her home?" He asked Tsunade.

"I'm not sure if she can walk already."

"It's ok, I can carry her back home."

"Ok." She sighed. "But you have to sign this." She handed him a sheet of paper and a pen.

"What's this?"

"It's just a document were you agree to take the patient home under you own responsibility."

"What's it for?"

"Just so I won't get in trouble with the Daimyo when they make an inspection."

Sasuke signed and handed the document back to Tsunade.

He carried his sister on his back again and walked out of the hospital room.

"Thank you." Thy both said before closing the door behind them.

"Here." Tsunade handed the document to Sakura. "Please take this to the office for me."

"Hai."

As she walked down the streets of Konoha, she looked at the document and found something odd.

Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Sadako. Their initials were the same, but not only that.

"Us." She thought out loud." Their initials spell 'us'"

--

"What are you doing onee-san?" Sasuke asked the next morning. "You can't get up just yet!"

"I'm fine." Sadako told him. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"But…"

"I have something to do." She interrupted him. "And I need you to do something for me."

--

"Sakura! There's a boy here who wants to see you!"

"I'm coming mom!" She ran downstairs and was surprised to see Sasuke standing on the doorway.

"Sasuke-kun… what… but…" It wasn't like Sasuke to be looking for her, even thou they were teammates.

"Here." Without even looking at her, he held out his hand and offered her a pink rose.

Sakura blushed and took the flower from his hand.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun." She smiled at him sweetly.

"Sadako wanted you to have it." He said.

"Oh." Sakura's hopes were blown away with the morning breeze.

"She also gave me this." He handed her a letter.

Sakura took it and stared at it. Why would Sadako send her a letter?

"And I…" Sasuke began, his left eyebrow twitching. "I wanted to thank you for helping my sister."

"But, I didn't… uhm… you're… welcome?" She giggled nervously, she hadn't really helped that much.

"Well, I have to go now." He said turning away.

Sakura closed the door and stared at Sadako's letter.

"I wonder what it says."

She unfolded the letter and began to read.

_Sakura-sand, I just wanted to than, you for helping us yesterday._

_Ino-san told me that pink roses mean friendship, so I hope we can become good friends._

_Also, about last time, I think I misunderstood Sasuke's words. I believe he said hordes, or something like that, because, whores isn't even a word, is it? How terribly dumb of me. Forgive me, but there are many words that I'm not yet familiar with._

_Sasuke told me you were really strong, I just never thought you were __**that**__ strong. Sorry about your hand, I didn't meant for it to end that way. But thank you for not telling onii-san about my right arm. Please, keep it as a secret._

_Uchiha Sadako_

Sakura finished reading and couldn't help but to smile.

How innocent (or stupid) could someone be?

"Whores **is **a word." She laughed. "I'm glad you don't know what it means."

--

"This place is so boring." Kankuro told hi siblings as they walked down the streets of Konoha.

"Stop complaining Kankuro, we're here on a mission." Temari reminded him.

"C'mon, as if we didn't know the only reason you're here is because of Shikamaru."

"Shut up!" Temari spat.

"Would you tow with that?" Gaara asked annoyed.

"Yes Gaara."

"Sorry Gaara."

They both knew Gaara had changed in the last years. He behaved more like their brother every day. He had stopped killing the innocent for the simple matter of doing so. He had stopped looking like a monster before their eyes.

But they had been terrorized by him for twelve years. It was hard to let go of all the fear they had towards him.

"If we don't hurry, ugh!"

As they turned a corner, Gaara bumped against a strange looking raven haired girl who was coming from the opposite way.

Gaara was forced to take a step back, but the girl stumbled backwards and fell, the grocery bags she was holding flew off her hands, scattering their contents all over the floor.

"Ouch!" She cried out as she landed heavily on the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming."

Gaara stared coldly at her. Sand began to stream out of the gourd he was carrying. It swirled around his feet and around the raven haired girl.

"Gaara, wait!" Temari pleaded. "It was an accident!"

"Don't do it Gaara!" Kankuro begged. "She said she was sorry!"

Gaara walked closer to her, the sand swirling furiously around his feet. He held out his hand and…

"I'm sorry." He apologized, offering his hand to help her up. "I should have been more careful."

The girl looked up, her charcoal black eyes clashing against Gaara's mint green eyes. She grabbed his hand and stood up, her eyes blinking curiously at him.

"Thank you." She told him. "Please forgive my clumsiness."

She looked around to find her bags.

"Oh no." She stared in despair at her scattered bags.

She took a step forward to reach her bags and slipped over Gaara's sand.

"Ah!"

Gaara made a fast move and caught her on midair. She turned as red as the apples that were scattered under her feet.

The girl jumped away from Gaara and apologized for her clumsiness again and again.

As she did this Gaara's sand picked up her groceries and placed them back in the bags.

"Here." He said, handing her the bags. "You dropped this."

"T-thank you." She took them back.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Temari asked her.

"No, I'm not." She answered shyly. "I'm form the Snow Village."

"That village exists!" Kankuro asked.

"Of coursed it does baka!" Temari scolded. "Can't you see her headband?"

"Then why did you ask her in the first place Temari?"

Gaara stared at them.

"You look familiar." Gaara told her.

"Perhaps you know my brother." She told him. "His name's Uchiha Sasuke."

"You're his sister?" Temari asked.

The girl nodded.

"My name's Uchiha Sadako." She said.

--

"Where were you?" Sasuke asked worriedly. "You've been out all day!"

"I was buying our dinner." Sadako answered.

"You could have at least told me. If I come back home and you're not here I get worried, you know?"

"But I left a note." She pointed to a note stuck on the refrigerator.

"Oh." Sasuke blushed. "I'm sorry onee-san, I didn't see it."

He helped Sadako with her bags and looked inside them.

"You bought blue berries, I love them!" He told her.

"I thought you would." She smiled.

After dinner they got up to Sasuke's room.

"Are your feet better onee-san?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes. They don't hurt anymore."

"I'm glad."

He laid on their bed next to her and stared at her black gloves.

"You don't have to wear them when you're asleep." He told her. "It's hot in here."

"But I'm cold." She said.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm, even thou he knew it wasn't a cold night.

"Onii-san?"

"Yes?"

"I dreamt with Itachi last night." She whispered.

"Forget about him." Sasuke said coldly. "I'm sure he already forgot abut us."

"But, why did he leave us?" She sobbed. "He was our brother too, wasn't he?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Itachi had caused him a lot of pain and now he was hurting his sister too.

"He's not our brother anymore."

"But…"

"Yu have me." Sasuke told her, running his hand down her charcoal black hair. "I will always be there for you, no matter what."

_It will always be the two of us, and no one will ever take us apart._

_We'll always be the Uchiha twins._

Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha Sadako.

_Us._

--

_Vianey: Did you like it? Did you?_

_Glacia: We're not sure if we spell Daimyo and Makibishi spikes the way it should, but you get the idea._

_Ten: I still think our story is cheap._

_Glacia: We think so too, but at least there are some persons who read it._

_Vianey: Which reminds me, this time I'll like to thank all of you who reviewed our story._

_Glacia: Those of you who added our story to your favorite._

_Ten: And those of you who picked __**us **__be part of your favorite authors list._

_Vianey: Here we go. Thanks a lot: _

_**Tsuki No Hime**_

_**Saylorskyeblue**_

_**Hinata11235**_

_**Loyd Neruameshi**_

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you._

_Vianey: And our special thanks to __**Saylorskyblue**__ who supports us and keeps the hope inside our hearts (as bad as our story is)_

_Glacia: Also, today we have a contest, whoever can guess Ten's real name, will get his or her favorite character to appear more in this fanfic._

_Ten: Hey, why does it have to be my name?_

_Glacia: Because, you're the only one who doesn't tell her real name._

_Vianey: Here's a hint, her full name is the same of a state… wait… is it a city? Well, I'm not so good in geography, so if anyone can guess her name, please send us a message and tell us who your favorite character is._

_Glacia: If you're the first one to answer correctly, your favorite character could be a star._

_Ten: You two would do anything to make people read this fanfic, I'm I right? ¬¬_

_Glacia/Vianey: Uh-huh. ññ_

_Vianey: Ok, were getting out of here befo__re our readers get sick of us. (although I doubt they read this part anyways.)_

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	6. 06 Blind Justice

Ok

Ok. Just a quick explanation here, Blind Justice is the giant statue of a woman, you normally see it outside courts or something like that… I'm not really sure what I'm talking about, but please read our fanific. Sorry for taking so long, but there's just so many things to do (this fanfic is the only thing that keeps us alive TTTT) Ok, on with the story, here it is, for all of you who read this piece of crap we like to call story, the sixth chapter.

**Chapter Six**

**Blind Justice**

Temari stared curiously at Gaara. He'd always been quiet, but there was something different this time.

They were sitting on the roof of their house. Because of his insomnia problem, Gaara had done this every night since he was a three year old. Now that they were a 'family' at last, the three sand siblings sat on the roof every night to talk about their missions and act like the family they thought they'll never have.

Gaara liked watching the moon, that was something Temari and Kankuro had both realized. He stared at it every night because 'The moon knows my pain', he once told them. But tonight he was just staring blankly ahead and on his normally expressionless face, there was a glint of confusion.

He'd been like this for three days. Ever since he met the raven haired girl with the charcoal black eyes.

"Is something wrong Gaara?" Temari finally dared to ask. "You've been so quiet lately."

Gaara didn't answer.

"Yeah." Kankuro agreed. "You've been like this since we met the Uchiha's sister."

Oh, great. Leave it to Kankuro to ruin Temari's idea of a nice talk. Gaara would probably get mad now.

But he didn't. he just kept staring blankly ahead.

"Blind Justice." Gaara told them absentmindedly.

"What?" Temari asked.

"You remember the story of Blind Justice, who judges the acts of people depending on their reasons?" He asked her. "She was blind, because she judged each person with the eyes of her heart and knew wetter they had done a good action with bad intentions or something cruel for a good reason. Do you remember that story Temari?

Temari nodded. Both Kankuro and her were aware of how much Gaara liked that story. There was a giant statue of Blind Justice on the far side of Suna. She stood there, with her eyes bandaged, her arms outstretched, holding a balance on her right hand.

As kids, they'd seen Gaara visit the statue many times. Every time someone hurt him, either by trying to kill him or calling him monster, Gaara would sit at her feet, shedding tears he always hid from everyone else.

So many times had Temari and Kankuro seen him. So many times had they followed him, just to make sure he'll come home safely. So many times had they seen him, and wanted. Wanted to hug him, but were ashamed. Wanted to comfort him, but were afraid.

It hurt to know Gaara trusted Blind Justice more than he'll ever trust them. They were his siblings, and they loved him, but he preferred her. She, who had blind eyes that **could not** **see** his suffering. She, who had ears of stone that **couldn't** **hear** his cries for help. She, who would **never** turn her back on him out of fear like they'd done so many times before.

He trusted her more then he'll ever trust them. He loved her more than he'll ever love them. Those who could see, and hear, and feel. Those two persons who were afraid to show him how much they **loved** him.

It hurt so much to see Gaara like that, but things were different now.

"But Gaara… what does Blind Justice has to do with this?" Temari asked snapping out of her memories.

"That girl... Sasuke's sister." He spoke softly. "She looks like Blind Justice."

--

Sasuke woke up as a little blue bird pecked on his forehead.

"Ow!" He waved his hand over his head to hush it away. "Get out of here you stupid bird!"

He sat up on his bed and watched as the little bird flew off the window.

"Onee-san, did you leave the window open?" He expected Sadako to answer, but when he looked down, she wasn't next to him. "Sadako?"

He fixed his messed up black hair and walked towards the bathroom. He knocked on the door but no response came.

"Sadako!" He shot from his bedroom window to be heard even if she was downstairs. "Are you down there?"

Still no answer.

Sasuke walked downstairs and stepped inside the kitchen. If Sadako was awake already, she was probably making breakfast.

She wasn't there. All he found was a plate of hotcakes and a note next to it. He took the note and read it.

_Onii-san, I'm out taking a walk. I wanted you to come with me, but you looked so tired, I didn't wanted to wake you up._

_I made breakfast for you, hope you like it. Don't worry, I'll be back by lunch time._

_Love Sadako_

Sasuke set the note on the table and picked up a fork. As he chewed on his hotcakes, he couldn't help to feel a little sad. Had she really not wanted to wake him up? Or was it that she just didn't wanted to be with him today?

--

Gaara hid behind a tree. He didn't know why, but he felt nervous.

He was Sabaku no Gaara, able to keep a cold heart even if he was fighting or killing someone. Able to stay emotionless even if the person in front of him was begging for his life. But standing behind this tree now, it was something different.

There, sitting on the river's edge, her bare feet splashing on the water, was Uchiha Sadako.

He stared at her long hair and angel like face _(A/N She looks like Sasuke, remember?)._ So calm, so cold. She looked so much like the giant statue he'd trusted as a child.

He wanted to talk to her, but why? He felt so nervous, but… she was just another girl. He'd seen so many of them before, and felt nothing inside. He'd killed so many of them before, and felt no remorse at all.

What was it about her that felt different? Why couldn't he gather enough courage to take a step forward and talk to her?

He was about to turn around and leave, when he heard her voice calling him.

"Why are you hiding from me?" She said softly. "Won't you come and sit next to me?"

Gaara gulped and walked slowly towards her. His eyes were nailed on the floor and there was a strange sensation on his face that made him feel like his cheeks were burning.

Sadako turned around to look at him. The instant she saw him, her cheeks turned bright red and she jumped quickly to her feet.

"Sumimasen!" She bowed low, her eyes avoiding him. "Sumimasen! Gomenasai! I thought you were Sasuke! Gomenasai!"

He saw her apologize again and again. Her hair flapped on the wind as she bowed up and down like a mechanical doll.

"I thought you were Onii-san!" She bowed yet again. "Gomenasai, gomenasai, gomen…"

"Drop it." He interrupted her. "You don't have to apologize so many times, one is enough."

"Sumi… eh… hai!"

Gaara sat on the river's edge and fixed his eyes on the clear water. Why couldn't he stop feeling so nervous?

He refused to turn his gaze towards Sadako, there was something about her that made him feel weird. He felt her eyes looking at him curiously and wondered how weird would a red haired boy carrying an oversized gourd of sand look like in her eyes. How weird would she think he was?

What the… why was he worrying about this stuff anyways? Every person he'd ever met had thought he was weird. So, why did this girl's opinion meant so much to him?

"Eto… you are G-Gaara-sama, right?" She asked, sitting on the river's edge next to him.

Gaara turned to look at her. The first time they met, he never told her his name. She must have read the questioning look on his eyes, because she quickly gave him an answer.

"O-onii-san told me your name." She explained. "I told him I had met a red haired boy with green eyes, a blond haired girl carrying a giant fan and a boy with purple paintings on his face. He told me you are Shinobi from Suna and that your name is Gaara, is that true?"

Gaara nodded, but was afraid of what Sasuke had told his sister. If he'd told her about Shukaku… no, if that was true, she would have ran the moment she saw him.

"Was that all he said?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the bangs of hair at each side of her face. They were the same as Sasuke's hair.

"He said y-you fought him on the Chunin exams three years ago a-and that you're really strong."

She was hiding something, he knew by the way she stuttered while talking. Sasuke must have told her.

"Was that all?" He demanded. His voice was higher than he hopped. He didn't meant to yell, but he just had to know.

Sadako sighed.

"Jinchuuriki." She whispered. "He said you're possessed by the Ichibi. He says you're strong and dangerous. 'Don't get close to him, he'll kill you' is what Onii-san told me. 'He's a monster' that's what he said."

Gaara's heart seemed to stop beating and there was that awful felling of falling into nothingness.

**Monster. Monster **she'd called him. Blind Justice had just called him a monster.

He wanted to explain, to tell her he was as human as everyone else. That every single person he'd ever killed was for a reason. That they tried to hurt him, he was just trying to survive. But, why bother? She wouldn't understand, no one would ever understand. They were not him, they didn't knew his pain and how much he'd suffered. This girl probably knew nothing about justice. She wasn't Blind Justice, no matter how much alike they looked.

"But…" She said softly. "I don't believe him."

Gaara's eyes grew wide. What had she just said?

"I do as Sasuke tells me to and trust every single thing he says. But this time, I'm afraid he's wrong."

"What makes you so sure?" Gaara asked standing up.

"If you wanted to kill me," She smiled at him. "you would have done it already."

"A-Are you not afraid at all?" Great, now he was stuttering too.

She shook her head no.

"I saw you that day, when you used your sand to pick up my bags. **You **controlthe sand, the sand doesn't control** you**." She took her shoes form the river's edge and put them back on. "It must be a great burden to carry such a heavy secret on your back. I know how it's like to be rejected by others, even those you love. I won't judge you, I have no right, but the only thing I can say for sure is that you are **not** a monster."

Gaara's heart began beating so hard, it felt like it would jump out of his chest. His limbs felt weak and shaky and his cheeks felt like burning once again.

"How… how do…"

"How do I know?" She asked sweetly. "No monster has eyes as sad as yours."

Her charcoal black eyes clashed against Gaara's mint green eyes. It was then that he noticed it, Sadako's eyes were sad too.

"You… you've been alone too, haven't you?"

"Yes. But not anymore." She stood up and brushed some death leaves from her legs. "Now that I have my brother with me, I'm no longer alone."

Gaara looked away, his siblings had helped him too. Thanks to them, he was no longer alone.

"You know, I could really use a friend." She told him. "W-Would you…"

Gaara was surprised to find himself smiling to this girl he barely knew. She was so different form everyone else. She couldn't be real.

"Yes, I'll be your friend." He said softly.

--

"Temari?" She heard Gaara call her.

"What is it Gaara?" She was telling Kankuro to pick up his puppets from the livingroom.

"Cain I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

They both got upstairs and Temari began to climb the stairs that lead to the roof.

"No, not the roof." He said. "Let's go to the nurse, I think I'm sick."

"Sick?" She asked, placing her hand on his forehead. "Do you have fever?"

"No." He said. "But I think I had fever a while ago, my cheeks felt like burning and my legs were shaking.

"Burning cheeks and shaky legs?" Temari asked. Gaara had never gotten sick, **never**. Suddenly, a strange idea crossed her mind. "Tell me Gaara, did you heart start beating so hard it felt like it was gonna jump out of your chest?"

"Yes."

"And did you feel very nervous?"

"Uh-huh."

"And did you find yourself smiling for no reason at all?"

"Yes." He was getting impatient.

"Tell me, did this happen when you were talking to a certain person, let's say, a girl?"

"Yup."

"And would that certain person happen to be, I don't know… Uchiha Sadako?"

Gaara nodded.

Temari grinned, it was so obvious. Her mind went back to the time Gaara had met Sadako. When she slipped on Gaara's sand, he'd caught her himself. Any other time, he would have used his sand.

"Gaara, I think I know what's wrong with you." She said on a serious voice. "You have a serious decease."

Gaara gulped.

"Gaara… ototo… I think… I think you ARE IN LOVE!" Temari cheered clapping her hands.

Gaara blinked confused.

"In… love? What does that mean Temari?"

"C'mon, you have the word tattooed on your forehead and you don't know what it means?"

Gaara stared blankly at her.

"You'll find out someday." She sighed.

--

Two days later, while Gaara and Kankuro walked down the streets of Konoha, thy found Sadako outside a candy shop talking to Naruto.

"What happened to your hand?" Gaara asked her, pointing to a bandage on her left index finger.

"Oh, this?" She covered her hand with the sleeve of her sweater. "It's nothing, just a little scratch."

Gaara stared questioningly at Naruto.

We were out on a mission to capture some bandits." Naruto explained. "One of them threw a kunai and it cut her finger. It's just a minor scratch, but Sasuke no baka always over reacts and now he's furious because we couldn't catch him."

"I see." Gaara said coldly. "Do you remember his name?"

"Not really, but they called him 'Stealth'." Naruto said, scratching his spiky blond hair.

--

"You've got to be kidding me boy!" Stealth laughed. "Popping out of nowhere and challenging ME. You must be very brave… to bad you'll die here!"

He ran towards Gaara but was suddenly trapped between walls of sand.

"Sabaku Kyuu!" Gaara held his hand on frond of his face.

"What are you doing?" Stealth shrieked.

Gaara smiled evilly at him.

"Sabaku Sousou!" The walls of sand compressed and a sickening sound of cracking bones echoed as blood flew on every direction and fell like rain on Gaara.

--

"Oh, my God!" Temari cried terrified. "Gaara, what did you do?"

She stared in horror at her little brother, he was mostly covered in blood and held a triumphant smile on his face.

"Nothing." He said innocently. "Just a little bit of _blind justice._"

--

_Vianey: Ok, so that was all for chapter six (maybe I overdid it a bit but…) _

_Ten: If Gaara-sama is not one of your favorite characters, we're terribly sorry, but he's going to appear more frequently (for obvious reasons)_

_Vianey: I'll like to apologize if some words are not spelled correctly (like Jinchuuriki, or ototo…) Also, sorry if Sasuke only appeared for like three seconds and a half on this chapter, is just that Glacia sort of… fractured her left hand._

_Ten: In human language, she tried to hit me but somehow ended up hitting the concrete wall behind me._

_Vianey: And since Glacia is the only one who can express Sasuke's feelings for his twin sister (because she actually has a twin brother) Ten and I sort of… gave him a short appearance in this chapter._

_Ten: But don't worry, Glacia is Ok now, she heals fast, is just that she was mad at me and refused to help us write this chapter, but she's gonna be forced to write the next one._

_Glacia: Fine, fine. I couldn't write the story, because my left hand was BROKEN (not fractured) But I can still type. _

_Vianey: Just a quick note, Glacia is left handed, just like Ten and me._

_Ten: And just like Sadako, it is no coincidence that she's left-handed XD._

_Glacia: The only reason I'm here is because I have to thank the people who gave us their reviews._

_Vianey: Yup. Here we go! Thanks a lot: __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi and xXSakuraNekoXx.**_

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you!_

_Glacia: For supporting us and reviewing our story, I must say we feel really really happy every time we find a new reviews (Although I doubt anyone is reading this part.)_

_Vianey: Also, I'll like to thank __**sailorskyeblue, **__who wrote a NaruHina fanfic dedicated to me!_

_Glacia: Actually, it said dedicated to Yuki. That's my last name, so it was dedicated to me._

_Vianey: But you're alter ego. Which means I'm you, and you are me, and I'm Ten… wait, does that mean it was dedicated to Ten?_

_Glacia: ºº?_

_Ten: Let's just say she wrote a NaruHina, it's actually very cool, you should read it…_

_Oops, we've got to go, we just exceeded our limit, we've talked to much, so in name of Vianey and Glacia who are still discussing who was the fanfic dedicated to, I thank all of you and say SAYONARA!_

_YukiTenVianey Team Out…_


	7. 07 Only Love Me

And now, here's the seventh chapter

And now, here's the seventh chapter. I know, I know, it took us too much time to write, but our hands feel like they're gonna fall of. Because this story may have some misinterpretations, I warn you that there is NO Uchihasest in this story. There is, however, NaruHina and NejiTen. Without anything worthy to say, here's the next piece of crap… ejem, chapter.

**Chapter Seven**

**Only Love Me**

"A sleep over… what is that?" Sadako asked.

Tenten smiled and explained what a sleep over was about. Eating junk food, talking about each other's private lives, sleeping late… that kind of stuff.

"We're having a sleep over tonight at Hinata's house." Tenten told her. "So, do you want to come?"

Sadako gave Sasuke a questioning look. It seemed like she couldn't do anything without his approval.

"Can I go Onii-san?" She asked him sweetly. "Please."

"But, Onee-san… are you sure you want to go?" Sasuke asked. "It sounds really boring."

Sadako's face dropped. It was obvious that she wanted to go, but her lovely brother wouldn't let her.

"Oh, C'mon Sasuke." Tenten begged him. "It will only be one night. We're not trying to steal your sister or anything, we just want to have some fun. Besides, Hinata will be disappointed, she really wants Sadako to come.

At the mention of Hinata's name, Sasuke blushed slightly and looked away from her.

_Bingo. _Tenten thought.

"O-ok." He sighed. "If you really want to go, it's fine. Just be careful Sadako."

"Don't worry." Tenten said. She snatched Sadako's hand away from his grasp and turned to leave. "We'll take good care of her."

It was really sweet of Sasuke to care so much for his sister, but to Tenten's opinion, he was being a little bit overprotective. Geez, the girl was fifteen, she could take care of herself.

--

Hinata looked around, everyone had come. She was gland they were all gathered there, it had taken a lot of effort to convince her father on letting the girls sleep on her room. It would have been a waste of effort if at least one of them was absent, but they were all here.

"Nice pajama Ino pig." Sakura said sarcastically, referring to the over-sized sky blue T-shirt and slippery socks that Ino was wearing.

"And what about you, wide forehead?" Ino asked, pointing at Sakura's outfit. She was wearing a little pink spaghetti strap blouse with a bunny print and some really short pink shorts with flowery designs. "Didn't you know you were supposed to wear something? But I must say, the bunny looks really cute."

"Ok." Tenten stood up, brushing crumbs of popcorn from her skirt. She was wearing a little soft pink sleeping dress decorated with white ribbons and lace. "Let's start with the games. Which one should we play first?"

"Truth or dare!" Sakura said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Sadako-san, do you know how to play that game?" Hinata asked, fixing her lilac silk gown on her shoulders. Under the gown, she wore a lavender sleeping dress that was also made of silk. Being the Hyuuga's heiress had it's advantages.

"Not really." Sadako answered. She was wearing a dark blue long sleeved pajama shirt. Her pants were also dark blue and she was wearing black gloves even thou it wasn't cold.

"Let's make it more interesting." Ino said, taking a sip from her strawberry flavored soda. "We ask a question and then think of a dare that's related to that question."

"I don't get it." Tenten said.

"Ok. Hinata, you go first." Ino said.

"Here's your question." Sakura broke in. "Is Naruto your boyfriend?"

Hinata blushed and nodded.

"C'mon, what kind of question is that?" Ino complained. "We all knew the answer."

"Now the dare." Sakura smiled evilly. "I dare you to call Naruto and tell him how much you love him."

They all stared at Hinata, who had turned bright red and was shaking uncontrollably.

"B-but I c-cant do that… h-he… Na-Naruto-kun… h-how can I"

"That's your dare Hinata, you have to do it." Tenten told her.

Hinata picked up the phone and began to dial Naruto's phone number.

"Put him on the speaker, we want to her." Ino said.

The phone rag one, two, three times…

"Hello!" They heard Naruto's voice from the other side. "Who is it?"

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stuttered.

"Hinata!" Naruto's voice reflected his happiness. "What is it, do you need something."

"No…Not really. I j-just wanted to t-tell you… to t-tell you h-how… h-how much I… I love you!" because she was so nervous, she almost yelled the last three words on the phone.

Everyone, including Sadako, stared open mouthed at Hinata. They never thought she would do it. Elsewhere, someone's heart (wonder who) had just broken into tiny pieces.

"Well... thanks Hinata." Naruto sounded confused. "I love you to, you know?"

"Ask him how much." Ino whispered.

"H-how much do you l-love me?" Hinata asked him

"C'mon silly, don't you know? I love you more than anything." He answered.

"How sweet." Tenten whispered.

"Am I more important than becoming Hokage?" Hinata asked, not because the girls had asked her to do so, but just because she wanted to know.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Naruto's answer.

"No." He said without thinking much.

All girls gasped in unison. Hinata was about to burst in tears when Naruto spoke up again.

"You're much more important than becoming Hokage."

"Nice done!" Ino cheered as soon as Hinata hung down the phone. "That was very cool!"

"Yeah, I never thought you'll do it." Sakura laughed. Ino whacked her in the head. "Ow! Why did you do that?"

"Next up! Tenten, who do you like?" Ino asked.

"M-me?" Tenten stuttered. "W-well… I, uhm… I… I like…"

She was interrupted by someone knocking on the bedroom's door.

"Coming!" Hinata called out. She opened the door and was surprised to find her cousin Neji standing on the other side. "Neji-niisan, is something wrong?"

"Hinata-sama, did you heard a strange noise a few minutes ago?" He asked.

"Strange noise… no, why?"

"Hiashi-sama and I heard a strange noise coming from the roof, we checked but couldn't find anything." Neji explained. "Hiashi-sama asked me to check if you girls were ok."

"Yes, we are ok." Hinata told him. "Don't worry, if we hear anything we will tell you."

"Ok, then. Good night Hinata-sama." He said as he walked towards his room.

"Good night Neji-niisan." Hinata closed the door. She must have been crazy, because right before Neji left, she could have sworn he smiled at Tenten.

She sat back on the floor along with the other girls and noticed that Tenten had turned as red as a tomato. There was no need to answer the question now.

"Ne-Neji-niisan?!" Hinata yelled astounded.

"Hinata-sama!" Tenten gave a short jump when they heard Neji's voice calling from the other side of the door. "is everything ok?"

"Y-yes, sorry!" She called out. She waited until they heard the sound of Neji's bedroom door closing, then turned to face Tenten.

"You like Neji–niisan?"

"Shh." Tenten waved her arms up and down. "He will hear you!"

"Is he the one you like?" Sadako asked.

"Agh!" Tenten pulled at her brown hair like a crazy person. "You weren't supposed to know it Hinata!"

"I won't tell him!" Hinata swore. "But please, stop pulling your hair. You'll hurt yourself"

"Now the dare!" Sakura chanted.

"I dare you to go to Neji's room and ask him to lend you… I don't know… a pair of socks." Ino said.

"Socks? What kind of stupid dare is that?" Sakura complained.

"Ok." Tenten walked towards Neji's room and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Neji asked, coming out of his room.

"Neji." Tenten said cutely. "Would you please lend me a pair of socks?"

"Sure." Neji said, without even bothering to ask why. "Here you go."

"Thank you!" She leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek. "Good night!"

"G-good… night." Neji looked confused.

"Easy!" Tenten said, waving the pair of socks in front of the girls. "We're on the same team, remember? He always lends me his clothes."

"Awesome!" Ino cheered. The rest of the girls agreed.

"Sadako, you're next. Who do you like?" Sakura asked, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth.

"Hey! How come I get the same question as Tenten-san?" Sadako complained.

"It doesn't matter." Ino said, gulping on a can of grape soda. "Just answer the question."

"Well, I'm not sure… but…" Sadako was lost in thought for a second. When she finally spoke up, her cheeks were slightly pink. "I think… I think I like… Gaara-sama."

"Say what?!" A dark silhouette appeared on the window.

"Onii-san!" Sadako jumped to her feet, a look of shame on her charcoal black eyes. "What are you doing here?"

It took the girls a few seconds to realize that the dark silhouette was actually Sasuke. He stepped inside the room, anger was written on his face. He grasped Sadako's left hand and pulled her harshly towards the window.

"Move, we're out of here." He commanded.

The door burst open and Neji ran inside. He stood in front of Hinata, trying to protect her.

"What are you doing here Uchiha?" He demanded. "If Hiashi-sama finds you here, you're death."

"Don't worry, I'm only here for my sister." Sasuke answered. "In fact, we were about to leave."

"I don't want to." Sadako begged.

"I said move!" Sasuke ordered. He jumped out of the window, dragging Sadako with him.

"Hinata-sama, are you ok?" Neji asked, kneeling next to her.

"Yes." Hinata stared at the place were Sadako had been standing. "I'm only worried about them."

--

Sasuke ran like a maniac through the dark streets of Konoha, dragging his sister with him. Sadako stumbled behind him, trying to keep up with him. Sasuke had given her no time to put on her shoes, now she ran down a stony path wearing only her black socks to protect her feet.

"Onii-san, wait!" She sobbed. "What did I do? Why are you so mad at me?"

He stopped suddenly, making her bump on him.

"Don't you know?" He shot. "Why did you say that?"

"What?" She couldn't understand why Sasuke was so angry at her.

"I like Gaara-sama." Sasuke mocked her. "You can't be serious! You can't like him!"

"I know you told me to stay away from him, I know you warned me. I'm sorry I disobeyed you." She apologized. "But please, you must listen. Gaara-sama is not…"

"That's not the reason." He spat.

"Then why? Why can't I like him?"

"You can't like him!" He shook her by the shoulders. "You can't love him because you only love me!"

Sadako blinked confused. That was the only reason for Sasuke to be so mad at her? Jealousy?

"But, Onii-san, I do love you!" She buried her face on his chest. "You know how much I love you."

"Then say it." He wrapped his arms around her. "Tell me you don't like him, that you only love me!"

Sadako pulled away from him.

"It's not what you think, it's a different kind of love." She explained. "How can I not like him, he's been alone for so long. I can see it in his eyes, he really needs someone to love him."

"And what do you know about loneliness?!" Sasuke yelled at her. "I've been alone too! You'll never understand what it feels like!"

"You think I had it easy on me?!" She couldn't believe Sasuke was talking like this. "You have no idea how much I've suffered!"

Sasuke seemed to remember what they had been through when they were little.

"L-let's just go back home." He tried to hug her, but she bulled away.

"No! I won't go anywhere until you calm down."

"I said let's go!" He pulled at her arm but she slapped his hand away. "Sadako, that's an order!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" It hurt to say those things, but Sasuke was acting like a psycho. "I can think and act by myself!"

"As you whish!" Sasuke said before dashing angrily away.

Sadako felt her heart break in two. Sasuke and her had never fought before, never. She felt tears burning on her eyes, but refused to cry them out. She couldn't completely understand why she liked Gaara. Why hadn't she told Sasuke that she only loved him? Why did she stubbornly insisted on going against Sasuke's will by telling him she loved Gaara too? But more than anything, why couldn't her brother understand that there are different kinds of love?

Sadako let out a scream. She screamed so hard, it made her throat hurt. She screamed out of anger, out of frustration. Out of confusion, because she couldn't understand what had just happened. Out of pride, because she'd rather scream than let her tears flow.

She balled her right hand into a fist and hit a nearby tree with all her might. Crack! The tree snapped in tow and crashed down with a ground shaking sound. She was glad there was no one around to hear it.

"Sadako-san…" She heard Hinata's voice behind her. "Are you ok?"

She turned around and found Hinata and Tenten standing there. Behind them stood Sakura and Ino, they all held worried looks on their faces.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Here." Ino handed her her shoes. "You forgot them."

"Thank you."

"S-sorry I asked that question." Sakura apologized. "I didn't know… Sasuke-kun…"

"It's ok." Sadako smiled. "It's **his** fault for breaking into Hinata-sama's house and listening to our conversation."

"Why don't you come back with us?" Hinata asked. "Father doesn't know what happened, Neji-niisan didn't told him."

Sadako nodded. She looked around and noticed that the girls had changed back into their normal clothes, while she was still wearing her dark blue pajama.

"We brought your clothes." Tenten handed her her sweater.

"Arigato."

"Let's go." Hinata whispered softly, holding Sadako's hand. "It's getting cold out here."

"How did you find me." Sadako asked as they walked towards the Hyuuga compound.

"We were worried about you." Hinata explained.

"So Hina-chan used her Byakugan to track you down." Sakura continued.

"And if you're wondering why." Ino added.

"It's because good friends never leave their friends behind." Tenten finished.

Good friends. Sadako smiled to herself. She was still sad for what had happened with Sasuke, but her new friends were making her feel better.

--

Gaara sat at the river's edge, he stared blankly at the rushing water.

"G-Gaara-sama." He heard Sadako's voice behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Gaara smiled to himself, he just knew she would come here.

"I was waiting for you." He stood up and got closer to Sadako. "I need to tell you something."

His heart began to beat faster than ever. His cheeks were on fire and his whole body was shaking. But he was going to tell her, he had to tell her.

"W-what is it?" Sadako asked.

She felt nervous too, and the fact that Gaara's sand was swirling around them only made it worse.

"I… I only… you…" He walked even closer. "How… what… what does… love… feel like?"

He was really close now. She tried to take a step back, but her legs wouldn't obey. As Gaara leaned closer, she looked up and sank into oblivion in his mint green eyes.

Gaara leaned closer and kissed her softly, the first kiss for both of them. Sand swirled furiously around them, as if it reflected their emotions.

And for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, there was no past, there was no future. Only the two of them existed on this world. There was no pain and no loneliness, just love and the faint smell of cinnamon.

"Get away from her!" Sasuke yelled from a top branch.

_(Ten: Oh, crap!)_

"Onii-san!" Sadako pulled away from Gaara, who pierced Sasuke with a death glare.

"I told you to get away from her!" Sasuke threw a kunai at his direction.

Sadako reached out and caught the kunai before it hit. At that same moment, a wall of sand rose up to protect Gaara, crushing Sadako's arm on the way.

Sadako gasped. Crack! A snapping sound echoed through the trees.

--

_Vianey: __(imposing horror music) OMG! What will happen to Sadako's arm? Will she survive this? Will Sasuke stop being an idiot? Read it on our next chapter._

_Glacia: Stop the drama, you really love to exaggerate things. Sorry for the uncompleted chapter, Vianey thought it would look better like this._

_Ten: Isn't Sasuke being too overprotective?_

_Glacia: That's how brothers are… well at least my brother is like that. Thank God we've never fought. We're like, Hikaru and Kaoru from Ouran High School (of course, without all that misunderstanding and weird posses)._

_Ten: Yeah, yeah. You love your brother and he loves you, we get that part. But I still think Sasuke went too far this time._

_Glacia: Well, I did exaggerated things a bit._

_Vianey: See, I'm not the only one who does that! _

_Ten: Eto… we don't have much to say, but I repeat to you, there is NO Uchihasest in this chapter. Sasuke is just a very, very, VERY, overprotective brother who (for some reason) doesn't understand that there are different kinds of love._

_Vianey: Anyways, this is not a single person's work. Glacia wrote about the jealous twin brother. Ten wrote about the sleep over and the truths or dares. And I… wait, what did I do? Oh, yeah. I wrote about Sadako and Gaara's first kiss. Although I really wanted to be Gaara's first kiss myself XD._

_Glacia: I don't know why she's so cheesy if she's never once been in love._

_Ten: Yeah, that's strange._

_Vianey: Hey, stop talking mean stuff behind my back!_

_Ten: I'm sorry, would you rather us to say it on your face?_

_Vianey: Ahh, why are you so mean at me? TTTT_

_Glacia: Just kidding, just kidding._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	8. 08 Sadako's Past

Eto

_Eto. Here's the next chapter (at last). __I don't like the way it turned out, but hey, I don't know what to write about. I knew how this story was going to begin and I know how it's going to end, I just don't know what to write between that. Kori means ice, just in case._

**Chapter Eight**

**Sadako's Past**

"Onee-san!" Sasuke was horrified.

"Sadako!" Gaara's eyes went wide.

Sadako gasped and pulled her arm away. The sleeve of her dark blue sweater was reduced to shreds, so she quickly tried to hide her arm.

"Look what you've done!" Sasuke yelled at Gaara as he ran past him to help his sister.

Guilt felt heavy on his shoulders. If only he'd apologized to her. If only he'd listened to her. If only he wasn't so impulsive. If only he hadn't thrown that kunai… none of this would have happened. But it was also Gaara's fault.

Gaara's whole body felt numb, guilt was crushing his entire being. Shukaku had made the sad wall to protect them. He was trying to protect **her** more than anything. But now she was hurt, and it was his fault. He knew more than anyone how strong the sand was, and it was a real miracle that the impact hadn't shred her arm off. But Sasuke was guilty as well.

Gaara looked down and found something odd. The sand had crushed her arm, so the ground should've been tainted with blood. But… Sadako wasn't bleeding.

"Onee-san! Are you…" Sasuke stopped on mid sentence and stared in horror at Sadako's right arm. The sleeve was torn apart, so he could see it clearly. Her right arm, from the tip of her fingers, all the way up to her shoulder was smooth and transparent. It was made of ice.

Sadako fell on her knees and held her arm close to her chest, trying to hide it from those who stared at it in dismay.

She wanted to run as far away form that place as her legs could taker her, but her limbs were numb and would not move.

"Don't look." She said in a tiny voice. "Pleas… go away."

"What happened?" Sasuke asked. He kneeled down and cradled her on his arms. She hid her face and cling to him the way she used to when they were little children.

"Who did this to you?" Gaara stepped closer, concern visible on his green eyes. For a moment, the two boys seemed to forget how much they hated each other.

"Please, tell us." Sasuke whispered into her ear.

Sadako shook her head.

"Just ignore it…" She spoke softly. "I'm fine. It's been like this even before I came back."

_Before I came back. _Her words echoed inside Sasuke's scrambled head. How could he have not notice? After all, he was always holding her hand. Always holding… her… left hand…

'_Damn it to hell!' _He scolded to himself. _'Sasuke you idiot, why didn't you notice it before?'_

Now everything made sense. The reason why Sadako wore that think sweater even when it was hot and damp outside. The reason why she slept in a dark long sleeved pajama and wore thick black gloves even when she was sleeping. That's why she kept staring at her arm every time he asked her about her past. Her right arm was made of ice. That's how she defeated Haruno. Sakura must have seen it that time and that's why they had been acting so strange lately.

"Sorry Onee-san, but I can't just ignore it." Sasuke told her. "I've been blind enough not to notice it before. Now I really need to know what happened."

Sadako looked away from him

"Please, tell us." Gaara said softly. "Perhaps we can help you."

Sadako pulled away from Sasuke and sat up straight. She pushed her raven black hair away from her eyes and her face turned ice cold, as if she felt no emotion at all. Even so, they all knew she was just pretending to be alright.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked softly.

--

'_Where am I?' _Five year old Sadako asked herself. _'Where am I?'_

She remembered two hands escorting her out of Sasuke's room and away from the Uchiha compound. She remembered Sasuke begging her to stay and she remembered falling asleep a while ago.

Now she sat alone, wondering where she was and where they were taking her. The bandages covering her eyes blocked her sight, so she couldn't see anything that wasn't total darkness. And even if she was able to, she wouldn't have opened her eyes, afraid of what might be in front of her.

There was a rocking motion and the sound of rushing water, along with the powerful smell of salt.

She heard the sound of a nearby door opening and the sound of footsteps approaching. Sadako cowered against the wall, whoever it was, it was clearly not friendly. She was sure of it.

"What's the matter?" A kind feminine voice asked. "Don't tell me you're afraid of me."

She felt a hand touching the bandages on her eyes and winced.

"It's ok." The voice soothed. "I just want to take a look."

She carefully unwrapped Sadako's bandages. Sadako blinked numerous times, the sun coming form the windows burned her eyes. At least it wasn't dark. She looked up and found a young looking woman smiling kindly at her.

The woman had white hair with locks of blue tied on a bun at the back of her head. Locks of blue hair fell softly at the sides of her face. Sadako was mesmerized by her shocking blue cat-like eyes.

She was about 20, but despite her age, she looked strong and confident. The same confidence she admired so much on Itachi.

"How are your eyes feeling?" Sadako had almost forgotten the pain. Her eyes always hurt, but today it wasn't that bad. Or at leas, they weren't bleeding. "Are you feeling ok?"

Sadako nodded.

"Good. My name's Kori." She introduced herself. "And your are…"

Sadako didn't answer. She'd never talked to no one who wasn't Sasuke, no one. So she didn't told Kori her name, even thou she knew it was a mean thing to do.

"Can you speak?"

Sadako nodded.

"Good, then this won't be so complicated. Are you hungry?"

Sadako nodded.

Kori left and came back carrying a plate of smoked fish.

"Sorry if it's not so good." She placed the dish on front of Sadako. "We don't have many food choices in here." _(A/N: They were on the sea, by the way.)_

Sadako ate without a word, but then the pain in her eyes grew. Drops of blood splashed on the ground.

"Oh my! Are you ok?" Kori put the bandages back around Sadako's eyes. "Better?"

Sadako nodded.

"There, you'll be alright." Kori soothed, running her hand down Sadako's hair the way Sasuke used to. "Rest now, we'll begin training tomorrow."

--

Sadako had expected the next days to be the worst, but it wasn't like that.

Of course, the training was hard. Every day, Kori would take off her bandages and tell her to push back the Sharingan. And every day, Sadako would end up twisting on the ground and shrieking in pain. For the first two weeks, there was no progress at all.

Sadako was useless, and she knew it. But despite all of this, Kori still believed in her, she still thought she could do it.

Kori-sensei didn't look down at her like father did, or called her names like everyone else. She was so nice at her. Not the kind of person who would kick her and call her useless when she was twisting in pain, but the kind of person who would heal her wounds and comfort her, and then encourage her to keep trying.

And no matter how bad the training's result was, she always said "Good job my little doll." She didn't knew Sadako's name, so he called her that, _My little doll._

Sadako could still remember Kori's smiling face when, after a month of training, she had finally talked to her.

They were sitting on the far side of the ship that was supposed to take them to the land of snow, when Kori spoke up.

"Ah, the sea is so beautiful." She sighed, then frowned. "Too bad I've been seeing this God damned sea for a whole year, and now it's going to be two!"

It had taken her a whole year to travel form the land of snow to Konoha, and it was going to take both of them another year to go back.

Sadako shrank at Kori's harsh words.

"Don't do that, it's not your fault." She laughed. "I traveled to Konoha because I wanted to help you, not because your family asked me to."

She held Sadako next to her and kissed her forehead. Mother had never been kind at her, never. But Sadako thought that, however it felt like to have a loving mother, could not be better than this.

"You're very important to me." Kori whispered. "Am I important to you?"

Sadako cling to Kori's black sweater and gathered all her courage.

"Hai, Kori-sensei…" She whispered softly.

"OMG!" She jumped suddenly to her feet. "You TALKED!"

Kori picked Sadako up and spun around with the five year old on her arms.

"She spoke! She spoke!" Sensei cheered at the edge of tears. "My little doll spoke!"

Soon, all the sailors in the ship gathered and began to laugh too.

"She spoke" She spoke!" They all cheered in unison.

Sadako had never felt this happy before. For the first time in her life, she forgot about her fear towards people and laughed her heart out as Kori threw her in the air. There were son many people who cared about her. _So many people._

--

Sadako shrieked and twisted on the floor.

"C'mon Sadako, don't give up!" Kori encouraged her. "You can do it!"

"I c-can't" Sadako wiped blood away from her eyes.

"Don't give me that! You can do it, you know you can.!"

"It… HURTS!"

"Your eyes can't control you because you control them! Push the Sharingan back, I know you can do it!"

Sadako's head was suddenly filled with known voices.

'_You can't do anything you stupid brat!' _Father's voice came to her ears. _'You really are the Uchiha's shame.'_

'_What did I do wrong? Why was I cursed with a daughter like you?' _She heard mother's sobs. _'Why were you ever born? Why can't you just die?'_

_Useless. Pathetic. Worthless. Shameful. ONEE-SAN!_

Sasuke's voice echoed even harder than the others. That's when she realized that no matter how many people hated her, it was those who loved her that really mattered.

"I… can…" She whispered.

Slowly, she tried to stand up. Her legs were shaking and her whole body was numb. All she could feel was the throbbing pain coming from her eyes, but she refused to fall again.

"I can…" She clenched her fists. "I can do it!"

Sadako's eyes shot open. She focused all her energy on her eyes. Not on the horrible pain coming from them. Not on the persons watching her, not on Kori-sensei. She focused on pushing back the cursed eyes.

Kori-sensei gasped as Sadako's eyes flickered from blood red, to charcoal black, and back to red.

"I can!" Crystal white chakra swirled around Sadako's feet, forming ice-like embers while her eyes flickered read and black like Christmas lights. Suddenly, Sadako's eyes turned dark and the chakra disappeared.

Sadako fainted.

_Sadako. Sadako-chan…_

She woke up, Kori was sitting next to her with a worried look on her face.

"I… failed again…" Sadako mumbled, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. "I really am… the Uchiha's shame."

"What? No, take a look!" Kori-sensei held a mirror before Sadako's face. She looked at her reflection and gasped. Eyes as black as the night sky returned her stare.

"You did it my little doll! I'm so proud of you!"

Pride… to Sadako, who had always been ashamed of herself, pride was an unknown word.

The rest of the training was easy. It took Sadako only two days to activate the Sharingan at will and about five days to learn how to use it.

Kori-sensei was proud of her, Sadako was a great student. There was no jutsu she couldn't learn or copy, no genjutsu she couldn't break and no technique she couldn't master. Yes, she was Kori's pride and joy.

Sadako was six years old when they finally arrived at the Land of Snow. It was so cold she felt like her bones will break, but thanks to Kori's ability as a tailor, she had a lot of thick jackets and gloves to wear. Even so, 32º bellow was a really low temperature. She never really got used to it.

At the age of 14, Sadako was known as one of the strongest kunoichi on the region. She even surpassed Kori-sensei.

Despite the cold, Sadako was happy living in there. There was no mission she couldn't complete with success, no enemy she couldn't kill without hesitation. She was no longer the reject of a legendary clan. She was a legend herself.

But it didn't last for long.

--

"Sadako, get up!" Kori-sensei woke her up in the middle of the night. "We're under attack!"

Both kunoichi ran outside. The entire village was on flames and the local Shinobi were fighting against some foreign ninja.

Sadako sprang into action. Five ninja surrounded her. They wore headbands with musical notes carved on them.

"Sound ninja." Sadako realized. She pulled five kunai out of her pouch and with a swift movement of her hand, all ninja dropped dead. She had thrown the kunai with such force that they had gone through the sound ninja's head bands. They didn't expect that from a little girl.

More ninja blocked her path as she tried to follow Kori-sensei. It was no problem for her. With a few hand signs and a jutsu, the enemy was frozen in place.

"Subzero jutsu." They all turned to ice statues.

"Well, well." She heard a cocky voice behind her. "Let me guess, you're an Uchiha."

"What?" She turned around and found a blue haired man staring at her.

"I recognize your eyes." He smiled. "You're a survivor form that clan, aren't you?"

What do you mean survivor? There's a whole clan in Konoha!" Sadako angrily tried to hit him, but he dodged her fist.

"Don't you know what happened to that clan?" He dodged another fist. "They were whipped out about seven years ago."

"Liar!" She tried to kick him, but he dodged that as well.

"You know what's funny about this? They say that the person who annihilated them was a member of the same clan." He grinned. "Uchiha Itachi, I think that was his name."

Sadako dropped her guard for just a second, but that was enough. The blue haired man kicked her hard on the stomach. She flew backwards and crashed against a pile of snow.

"Sadako!" Kori appeared out of nowhere and stood between her and the strange man. She was trying to protect Sadako, but it was obvious that she was exhausted and out of chakra. "Don't you dare touch her again!"

They both fought, buth the man was stronger than they were. With a single blow, Kori-sensei was on her knees gasping for air and Sadako was almost unconscious. He did various hand signs and aimed at Kori with a strange jutsu that Sadako had no time to copy.

"Sensei!" Kori was unable to move, so Sadako pushed her out of harm's way. Kori was safe, but the attack had reached her right hand, turning it to ice.

Sadako gasped, but she could still move the transparent hand. It wasn't that bad, was it?

She stood up on shaking legs. They were not going to loose against him.

"Retreat! Retreat!" one of the sound ninja called out. The remaining ninja, along with the one who was fighting Sadako, turned towards the snow topped mountains and began to run away.

"Oh, no you don't!" She ran behind him, he was not getting away.

"It's not me you should worry about." He pointed at something behind her.

Sadako turned to look and was horrified by what she saw. There, laying on the snow, was Kori-sensei. She had about ten kunai knifes stuck on her che3st. the snow around her was turning red.

Sadako no longer cared about the blue haired man.

"Sensei!" Sadako ran as fast as her legs could take her.

When she reached the spot, Kori smiled at her.

"Wait here, sensei. I'll get the medic ninja and…"

"No." Kori coughed, choking on her own blood. "Please… don't"

"But…"

"Sorry Sadako… I'm afraid it's… over for me."

"Don't say that." Sadako's voice cracked. "You'll get better, I know it. We just…"

"Sadako, look at me." Sadako stared in horror at her sensei. Her left leg had been cut off and blood came out in rivers from the stump that was left. The remains of her leg laid a few meters away. "There's no medic that can heal me now."

"Then… then, what can I do?" She was trying her best not to cry.

"Kill me…"

"No, I can't do that. I.. I won't!"

"Please, can't you see I'm suffering?" She pulled a kunai from her chest and handed it to Sadako. "You have to… that's an order!"

Sadako stared at the kunai in her hand.

"A good kunoichi never shows her emotions." Kori reminded her. "You're a kunoichi of snow, just like me. Cold blood runs trough your veins, doesn't it? Do ti."

Sadako lift the kunai on the air, then, for the first time in eight years, she hesitated.

"What am I going to do without you?" She asked.

"Listen. Before we came back, I hid a transferring scroll somewhere. There's another one in the ship that brought us here eight years ago. Find it, do exactly as it says and it will instantly take you to the land of waves." She was forced to stop and cough again. "Go back to Konoha and show them how much you've grown. Stay there and don't ever come back here. Understand?

Sadako nodded.

"I'm s-sorry sensei." She had to do it, there was no way out of it.

"Good bye my little doll" She smiled.

Down came the kunai… Impact.

Sadako's face was splashed with blood.

She cried, but her tears froze on her cheeks. That's when she decided, she will never cry again.

Kori had called her a kunoichi of snow, but she would have changed her mind if she'd seen Sadako's hand. Every time she used a jutsu, every time she fought, every single day she existed, the curse on her hand spread like a disease. And now, it had taken over her whole arm. It was heavier every day and Sadako knew deep inside her, that it would some day be the reason of her death. She was slowly turning to and ice statue. Turning into a kunoichi of ice… literally.

--

Gaara stared at her open mouthed while Sasuke had tears in his eyes.

He had spent his entire life complaining on how much he'd suffered. He even dared to think Sadako's life was easier, but now he knew the truth.

He hugged Sadako as hard as he could and was unable to keep his vice from cracking.

"I'm sorry Onee-san. I was such and idiot. I'm so sorry." He sobbed. "Would you ever forgive me?"

Sadako hugged him back. There was no need for an answer.

--

_Glacia: And so, the eight chapter ends. I really think Ten went too far. I mean, poor Kori, it sends chills down my spine no imagine it. Let's hope we don't get sued by the unsatisfied readers._

_Ten: Well, when it's your turn to write the story, perhaps I can listen to you. But while it's my turn, I would truly appreciate it if you could shut your mouth! I'm not sure if they like it, but Vianey's gonna have nightmares tonight XD._

_Vianey: Whatever. The reason we're here this time, is to thank all those who sent their reviews._

_Glacia: Here we go!_

_Vianey: Thanks a lot __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, Hana-Tenshi, Freezing Embers Friend and cocogirl198.**_

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you (To show our gratitude, we kneel before you.)_

_Glacia: We also thank those who add us to their favorite authors list._

_Ten: And to their favorite story list._

_Vianey: We really appreciate what you do for us. Please keep sending your reviews. When we get 30, I'll write as special chapter about a Halloween party. (Yeah, I know it's still may, but I like the idea of a costume party XD.)_

_Glacia: Without anything left to say, we retreat._

_Ten: Bye, bye!_

_YukiTenVianey Team Out…_


	9. 09 Oniisan Comes Back

Sorry for the delay

_Sorry for the delay. Thank you all for waiting, now here's the 9th chapter. __The title explains itself, must we say anything else?_

**Chapter Nine**

**Onii-san Comes Back**

"Are you sure onee-san?" Sasuke asked. "You can sleep with me, really."

After the incident in the forest, Sadako had agreed to go back with Sasuke. Everything seemed normal again, but when the time to sleep came, Sadako refused to sleep next to Sasuke like she always did. Instead, she insisted on staying in the living room.

Of course, Sasuke could not allow her to do that. He couldn't let his sister sleep downstairs, on the hard living room floor. And the worst part of it all is that she'll be away from him. It was just a few meters away, but to him, it seemed like such a long way.

"It's ok." Sadako answered. "I'll be fine."

"But why? Are you still mad at me?" Sasuke asked concerned.

"It's not that." Sadako looked away. "It's just… I don't think we should keep sleeping together. It's weird."

"No, it isn't." He pulled at her sleeve like a little child begging for candy. "Please, sleep with me. Pleease!"

"It's kind of childish, don't you think?"

"No, it's not!" He said, sounding rather childish. "Why do you say that? We've slept together ever since we where three years old."

"That's the problem Onii-san." She said coldly. "We're no longer little children."

Sasuke tried to say something else, but Sadako's serious face told him that was enough. There was no way to change her decision, and he knew it.

He looked at her and remembered the frail little girl she used to be. The one that needed his help and could not stand on her own. The one he loved more than anyone and anything. The girl who only loved him.

But things had changed now. She was so strong, so brave, so confident. She'd done all this without him, she no longer needed him.

Why should Sadako listen to him? After all, he'd done nothing more than treat her like a worthless little kid and feel like a hero for that. And even if she also loved Gaara now, there was still place in her heart for Sasuke. A heart so big that was able to forgive him even thou he'd treated her worse than a stray dog.

He remembered the night they fought. _'I can think by myself.' _Her words echoed on his head, and he knew she was right.

Sasuke had never stopped to think that maybe Sadako didn't like most of the things they ate or the games they played, but he figured it was ok because she never complained. He always took decisions for the two of them, and it never crossed his head that Sadako was now able to take her own decisions. She no longer needed him to take her hand and lead her trough the house. She no longer asked him to tell others what she wanted to say. She was her own now.

He felt ashamed for acting so foolish. It seemed like all he'd done lately was mess up everything. So to stop the argument they were having, he thought of only one thing.

"I know!" He laughed. "I was just kidding. If you want to sleep here, it's ok."

"Really?" Sadako's face brightened.

"Yeah, just make sure the doors are locked and be careful." He smiled. "Cats like to sneak inside at midnight and eat the leftovers."

"Hai, I'll be careful."

"Good night, then." He lift her face and kissed his forehead.

"Good night Onii-san." She kissed his right cheek.

……………………

Next morning, when Sadako woke up, she was still laying on the living room floor, but there was something different.

Sasuke's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, while the black haired boy slept soundly next to her.

"Onii-san!" She yelled, pushing Sasuke aside. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke was startled awake.

"What am I doing here?" He asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "I live here!"

"I mean, what are you doing sleeping on the living room?"

"How should I know?" He looked around confused. "I can't even remember how I got here."

"So you're sleep walking now?" Sadako asked skeptically.

"Perhaps." He smiled playfully.

"Well, that's better than you sleep talking at midnight."

"What do you mean? I don't do that!"

"Yes you do." She smiled an evil smile. "You did that just three nights ago."

"Really? And what did I say?" He challenged.

"You said: Hinata, Hinata, why don't you love me Hinata? Naruto is a baka, I love you more than he does." She laughed.

"What the… did I really say that?"

Sadako smiled and nodded.

"Don't tell her onee-san" if you tell her I'll die out of shame." He turned bright red. "Please!"

"C'mon, you know I wouldn't do that." She laughed. "But you must admit, they do make a cute couple."

"Yeah." Sasuke said heavily. "That's the worst part of it."

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Two shadows stood in the forest outside of Konoha, just a few meters away from the village's gate.

"Konoha…" One of them said in disgust. "After all this years I can't believe I'm back to this shameful place."

"Well, it is your home after all." The other one chuckled.

A soft breeze blew, rocking the wind chimes that hung from the hats they were wearing. The sound of faint music filled the air.

"Are you sure she's in here?" The second shadow asked.

The wind blew through their black cloaks. There were red clouds painted on them.

"Yeah, I've heard." He took a step forward.

"Great, time for fun!" The second shadow grabbed the handle of an oversized sword tied on his back.

"You better not kill anyone!" The first shadow warned. "No one has to know we're here. We have to be careful, a fight is the last thing we want. We just came here to see her."

"Yeah, yeah. She's all that matters, I get the point."

"Otherwise, I'll enjoy killing one or two of this worthless village's Shinobi. I would let them know Akatsuki was here."

"So, can I kill at least one of them?"

"Shut up and move!" The first one said coldly. "We don't have time to waste. You know that, Kisame."

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"So, where are we going Onii-san?" Sadako asked Sasuke.

All that Sasuke had told her when they left the Uchiha Compound, was that they were going to take a walk somewhere.

"I don't know onee-san," Sasuke smiled. "where do YOU want to go?"

Sadako thought for a moment.

"How about the forest of Konoha? I like that place."

"The forest of Konoha it is!" Sasuke agreed.

When the Uchiha twins reached the forest, they noticed there was something different about it. The air felt heavy and the singing of birds could not be heard. Even the rushing water of the river made no sound on their ears.

Sasuke stood behind Sadako and leaned his head on her shoulder so that he cold whisper on her ear without being noticed.

"Stay close to me." He whispered.

Sadako nod as the word 'Genjutsu' formed in her lips.

Both Sasuke and Sadako put their hands together to form a ninja sign.

"Release!" They said in unison.

When the Genjutsu faded, the twins found two persons standing before them. They were dressed in black cloaks with red clouds painted on them.

Sadako looked at one of them. He was a blue man with a shark-like face and sharp teeth. A giant sword wrapped on bandages hung from his back. She had no idea who he was or what he wanted, but she did recognized the other one…

After all this years, and even thou she'd only seen him a few times in the past, she could have recognized him anywhere.

At the sight of them, Sasuke immediately ran in front of Sadako to protect her.

"Itachi!" Sasuke growled wrathfully.

"Sasuke…" He said coldly.

"You bastard!" Sasuke quickly pulled out a kunai and ran towards Itachi, but he was too slow. Before he could even react, Itachi buried his fist on Sasuke's stomach, knocking the air out of him.

With a loud thud, Sasuke landed on the ground. He was shrinking in pain and gasping for breath.

"Onii-san!" Sadako took a step towards Sasuke.

"Stay… back!" He coughed out.

Sadako obeyed him.

"I don't want to fight with you. We're only here for her." He pointed his finger at Sadako.

"Don't… you… dare!" Sasuke tightened his grip on the kunai knife and tried to stand up.

"As you wish." Itachi stared directly into his eyes.

Sasuke saw his own fearful face reflected on Itachi's Mangenkyou Sharingan and knew what was coming.

72 hours that for all humanity would just be a second, watching the slaughter of his entire clan again and again.

Yes, he knew what was coming. He'd seen it before.

But that didn't happen, because with an incredible speed, someone ran between Itachi and him… it was Sadako.

Sasuke was more than surprised when Sadako's eyes turned as red as Itachi's.

"Mangenkyou…" Sasuke muttered as Sadako's stare clashed against Itachi's.

Apparently, Itachi was surprised too, because the instant Sadako's eyes transformed, he dropped his guard for just a fraction of second.

Even thou it was such a small amount of time, it was enough for her.

The air began to chill and a strong blizzard pushed him back. In less time than he could realize, everything, including him, was covered in snow.

The white flakes piled around him faster than he could push them back. He tried to run, but his feet were frozen in place. The snow was already up0 to his neck and his entire body was numb. He knew what Sadako was planning. She was going to burry him under a mountain of snow.

Itachi gathered all the strength he had left and began forming hand signs with his numb fingers. The genjutsu disappeared and he found Sadako standing before him. Still trying to protect Sasuke. Still staring at him with her own Mangenkyou.

He didn't want to hurt her, but it was obvious that she was not going to stop fighting, not as long as she was doing it for Sasuke.

Sasuke tried once again to stand up, but his limbs failed him and the pain on his stomach just sent him back on his knees.

There was nothing he could do but to observe as his siblings fought with the strongest weapon they had… their eyes.

Both Sadako and Itachi began to slide on the floor without them wanting to. It wasn't that they were moving, they were being pushed back by the sole power of their eyes.

Sasuke stared at Kisame, he was just standing behind Itachi with a pissed look on his face. But then he disappeared and reappeared behind Sadako.

With a single blow, his sister fell unconscious.

"Kisame, you idiot!" Itachi shout. "Why did you do that?"

"This was never going to end!" Kisame complained as he swung Sadako over his shoulder.

"Don't carry her like a sack of potatoes!" Itachi demanded.

"Sorry your majesty." He took her in his arm and carried her bride style. "Is that better?"

Itachi nodded.

A kunai went flying towards Kisame, who had barely enough time to avoid it. He dodged it, but it made a scratch on his left cheek. Blood dripped out of the wound.

They both turned to look at Sasuke, who was still laying on his knees whit an angry look on his face.

"Let her go!" He shout, staring at the limp form of his sister.

"So, what do we do with him?" Kisame frowned.

"Don't worry." Itachi suddenly disappeared.

Sasuke felt a hard hit on the back of his neck and everything became complete darkness to him.

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Sadako woke up half and hour later. Her feet were tied together as well as her hands. She looked around and realized she was no longer in Konoha.

But how was this possible? How could she loose like this? How could Sasuke be defeated so easily?

Sadako tried to use her ninja skills to untie the ropes, but soon realized there was chakra on them. The more she pulled, the tighter they got.

"Stop squirming." The shark-faced man appeared out of nowhere and smiled at her with his hideous saw-like teeth. "Itachi will be back any minute to untie you."

"Let me go you fish-faced bastard!" She'd learned that word from Sasuke, although she had no idea what it meant.

The blue man frowned.

"Didn't I just say Itachi will untie you when he comes back?!" He shout angrily. "And where the heck did you learn to speak like that? Your brother will be mad if he hears you."

"What do you mean? It was my brother Sasuke who taught me that word!"

"I meant **Itachi**!"

"He's not my brother!" She shrieked.

"C'mon, you look every bit like him." He kneeled down and lift her face to get a better look. "If I had known all Uchiha girls were this pretty, I would have asked Itachi not to kill them all."

She wanted to punch and kick him, but she was tied up. She wanted to bite him, but he was too far away. So she did the only thing that was possible.

She stared at the shark man and spit on his hideous face.

"Agh!" He jumped back, whipping spit from his face. "That's so disgusting!"

"Don't you ever touch me again you stupid fish!" She knew it was nasty so spit on him, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"You little brat!" He lift his sword and was about to hit her with it, when…

"Kisame!" Itachi called from the top branch of a nearby tree. "Put that down!"

"But…" Itachi looked at him with this feared Sharingan. "Fine…"

"Hmp, coward." Sadako muttered.

Kisame fixed her with a death glare.

Itachi jumped to the floor and kneeled before her so they were facing each other.

"Careful, she might spit on you." Kisame warned.

Sadako tried to activate her Mangenkyou.

"What the…" She was surprised when her eyes would not obey.

"I blocked your chakra flow." Itachi explained. "Don't look so surprised, did you really think I would let you use those eyes again?"

She wanted to spit at him so badly.

"What do you want from me?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said softly, running his hand down her black hair. "I just wanted to see you…"

She must have been crazy, because behind his expressionless voice, Itachi seemed to have a glint of nostalgia.

Itachi laid his forehead on top of her head.

"I've missed my little sister so much."

His voice was still cold, but just a little bit sad.

"You're not my brother." She said in disgust. "You killed our clan, you hurt my brother. I hat you! I could never forgive what you did!"

Itachi stared at her blankly.

"But, Sad-chan…"

"Don't call me that!" She spat.

That's how Itachi used to call her, because she always looked sad.

"The only reason we came is because I wanted to see you." He said softly. "I thought you were death, and then suddenly, they tell me you are back in Konoha. What was I supposed to do?"

"Well, kidnapping me wasn't the best thing to do!" She said annoyed.

"She's right dude." Kisame agreed.

Both Uchiha stared angrily at him.

"I'll just… kind of… shut up now." He said.

"Perfect." Sadako sneered.

"Listen, I don't know what Sasuke told you, but the reason I killed all members of our clan was because of you."

"Me? And what do I have to do with it?"

"Those bastards, acting so mean to a poor little girl." He said angrily. "Always mistreating you. Always looking at you over their shoulder, as if they were superior. The deserved everything that happened to them, everything. If they wouldn't help a member of their own clan, then I decided there should be no clan at all."

"But, Sasuke… what about him?" She asked.

"He's alive isn't he? It was never my intention to hurt him, I thought he had the same idea as I did, but now I know I was wrong. The only reason I hit him today was because he wouldn't step aside. I warned him I didn't want to fight."

Sadako's heart was being crushed into tiny pieces. She knew Itachi was evil, but still, the moment he'd appeared before them on the woods, she couldn't help but to feel a glint of happiness. So many years without seeing him, and suddenly, he was there.

She hated him for hurting Sasuke, and even if the Uchiha clan meant nothing to her, it did hurt Sasuke too. But she couldn't hate him, not completely.

She remembered the times when he played with her and took care of her. Because mother hated Sadako, Itachi had even combed her hair a couple of times (not that he'll ever admit it).

She loved him because… because he was her brother. And there was no way to deny it.

But killing the whole clan was sick. She could no longer trust him as she did before, she could read it in his eyes.

Sadako looked around. Where was Sasuke? Why hadn't he come to rescue her yet?

Sadako really hopped they hadn't hurt him, or worse.

"Please… get away… stay away from me." She said on a small voice, trying to hold back the tears she swore to never shed.

Itachi did as she told him. With a hurt look on his face, he stood up and walked away.

"Kisame, untie her." He ordered.

"But…" Kisame objected.

"Now!"

"Fine." Kisame sighed.

"Do you really do all he says?" Sadako asked him as he untied the ropes.

"Sometimes." Sadako stared at him. "Ok, so most of the time. It's not that I can't take decisions for myself, I just don't want my brain turned to mush with his genjutsu."

"Sounds fair."

As soon as she was free, Sadako looked around to see if Itachi was near.

He wasn't. So she tried to run, but Kisame was ridiculously fast and caught her right arm even before she could move and inch.

"And just where do you think you're going!" He grinned in triumph while shaking her violently.

"Let me go!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Itachi appeared from behind a tree.

She could have kicked Kisame and tried to run, but there was no way she could really escape from them. Being as tricky as she could, she did the only thing that crossed her head at that moment.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't running away, I just wanted to talk to Itachi" She sobbed. "Please let go of my arm, you're hurting me!"

"Release her." Itachi ordered a look of concern on his face.

Kisame had that _'I know what you're trying' _look on his face, but he still did as he was told. Well, actually, he tossed her aside like a used up rag doll.

Itachi took a step forward, but remembering Sadako's words, he stayed where he was.

"Are you ok?" He asked concerned.

Sadako stood up. Now what? There had to be a way to fool Itachi at least long enough for Sasuke to come save her.

She rubbed her right arm, although it had been almost a year since she last felt anything on that place. Tears ran down her face. Fake tears, but she hopped Itachi wouldn't notice.

"What's wrong, imooto?" Itachi stared at her confused. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to talk to you that way." She sobbed. "I just… I've… missed you so much."

She walked slowly to Itachi, making sure that he wouldn't hit her or anything. When she was just three steps away from him, Itachi stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

Sadako buried her face on his black cloak and sobbed inconsolably, trying desperately to sound as real as possible. If Itachi noticed she was faking, she would be in real trouble.

But he didn't notice, he just held her close, feeling happy for the first time in so many years. He ran his hand down her hair the way he used to when she was a helpless little girl. He was so glad to see her again, so glad he could finally hear her voice, so glad she was so strong, so glad she was his sister.

"It's ok, Sad-chan. Onii-san is here." He soothed. "I would never let anyone hurt you, never."

Sadako's heart hurt even more now. It hurt to lie to him, but what else could she do.

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Naruto was on his favorite spot in all Konoha: Ichiraku Ramen. Ayame-chan, the waitress, set a bowl of steaming hot ramen on front of him.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto cheered. He lift his chopsticks and was about to take the first taste of his food, when he heard Sasuke's voice calling him.

"Naruto!" Sasuke was running towards him like a maniac. His eyes were frantic and he was almost out of breath when he reached the ramen stand.

"What is it?" Naruto asked through a mouthful of ramen.

"Come with me!" Sasuke tugged at his arm, almost making him fall from the chair he was sitting on. "I need your help!"

"Hey, calm down!" Naruto said angrily, sitting straight again. "What the hell do you want?"

"Itachi!" He gasped. "Itachi's back and he took Sadako with him. That bastard has my sister!"

"Say what?!" Naruto's eyes went wide. "We have to go rescue her, what are you still doing in here?"

"I'm trying to get your help baka!"

"Well if you're so great, then what do you need my help for?"

"Forget it, I'll do it myself!" Sasuke yelled desperately.

"Wait, you know I never say no to a mission!" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke just wanted to beat his stupid grin off.

Naruto lift the ramen bowl over his head and gulped the whole thing into his mouth. In less than two seconds, he had drained the bowl. He set the plate down and turned to Sasuke.

"Let's go!" He jumped off the chair and ran down the street.

"Finally!" Sasuke ran behind him.

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Kisame jumped furiously from branch to branch. How was it possible that he, the great Kisame, one of the sword masters had been reduced to this?

He carried a cup of vanilla ice cream on his hands. That stupid brat had been crying the whole day and would not allow them to move from the place they were at. Then, Itachi had to ask: _'Is there anything I can do to make you feel better imooto?' _And then that stupid brat had to ask for vanilla ice cream.

The nearest village was about five miles ago, but Itachi could not go get it himself. NO, he had so many things to talk about with his stupid sister. So it was Kisame who had to run all the way there to get the goddamned ice cream and back again just so that nasty sister of his would stop crying. God, how he wished she would choke on it! He was just a step away from pouring poison into it.

When he came back with the fu ice cream, he found Itachi sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree with his crybaby of a sister curled next to him like a scared puppy on a rainy day.

The brat was STILL crying!

"Please let me go." She sobbed. "I have to go back to Konoha."

At this time, Sadako had given up all hopes that Sasuke would come to save her. If she wanted to get out of this, she'll have to do it herself.

"But why?" Itachi asked, standing up dramatically. "I thought you missed me to!"

"I do!" Sadako's eyes went wide, if Itachi got angry, it would be the end of it. "But… Sasuke is in there, I need to go back to him."

"Hell with Sasuke! Do you really think he can protect you? He couldn't even lay a hand on me!"

"I know, but…"

Itachi grabbed her wrists and pulled her up.

"Come with us." He said, his face shining. "Join Akatsuki and come with us. I'm sure our leader will accept you if he knows you posses the Mangenkyou Sharingan."

"I don't want to." She had stopped crying now. Fear grew inside her.

"Why not? You're really strong, you cold help us." He tightened his grip on her wrists.

"Let me go!" She tugged at her hands, trying to break free. "Don't you…"

"Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu!" A giant ball of fire went flying towards Itachi.

He grabbed Sadako and jumped away from it.

"You heard the lady!" Naruto grinned mockingly, striking his best hero pose.

"Let her go!" Sasuke demanded.

Itachi pushed Sadako behind him.

"You're not taking her again." He threatened.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" About then Naruto clones appeared on the scene. "You save your sister, I'll take care of the fish face."

"Go on, I dare you." Kisame smiled, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and tossing the cup aside.

Naruto ran to Kisame, but he dodged all his attacks easily and in less time than he could realize it, almost half of his clones had been defeated.

"Katon Housenka!" A rain of fire balls went flying to Itachi, who dodged most of them and deflected the others with his bare hands.

"Kuso, they're too strong!" Naruto said after taking a direct hit from Kisame's sword. HE wiped blood from his mouth.

Sasuke's Sharingan was activated, even so, he couldn't follow all of Itachi's moves. Aside from being too strong, they were also too fast for just the two of them.

Kisame began making hand signs to use a jutsu.

"Suiton Suikoudan no jutsu!" An incredible amount of water in the shape of a shark broke through the floor and charged directly at them.

There was no time to react, no time to think. All they could do was cover their heads and wait for the water shark to devour them. It was really close now, they could feel it's jaws closing on them…

They heard the sound of water splashing against the floor, but for some reason, they were safe.

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked up, they were crouching behind a wall of sand.

"What the…" Sasuke looked up astounded.

Blood red hair and emerald green eyes. There, standing before them, was Sabaku no Gaara. Arms crossed over his chest, no expression on his pale face.

"Gaara!" Naruto cried out. "What are you doing here?"

Gaara pulled the sand back into the gourd tied on his back.

"I'm here to save Sadako…"

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_Vianey: And that's it for chapter nine. We're truthfully sorry it took us so long to update, it's jut I really had a lot of school work. (Sometimes, I wish writhing fanfic was my only job.)_

_Glacia: But thank you for waiting. I really don't think this one's so good but, hey, we are trying our best here._

_Ten: Yeah, this chapter sounded better on my head. Whenever we write anything, the fic plays like a movie inside our heads, it's just very complicated to try to describe it._

_Vianey: Just a quick note, I'm really, REALLY sorry if my characters are so different from the original. I've got some people saying that Sasuke seems a little ooc._

_Ten: We have no idea what ooc mean, so the only thing we came up with is Out Of Character. _

_Glacia: If that's it's meaning, once again we are sorry for it. But please, you must realize, Sasuke only acts nice around his sister. He's still mean to Sakura and a jerk to everyone else. Besides, this is a fanfic, it's just our word, not reality._

_Vianey: But thanks to that commentary, we're now trying our best to make the characters more like they usually do. Although our best isn't really good and the story would end up looking like… this chapter._

_Glacia: Can we just thank the readers already?_

_Vianey: Ah, yes. Ok, here goes. Thanks a lot __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, Hana-Tenshi, Freezing Embers Friend and cocogirl198.**_

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you (once again, all three of us kneel before you)._

_Vianey: And our special thanks to __**sailorskyeblue and Hana-Tenshi, **__Who have read and reviewed most of our chapters._

_Glacia: We have no words to express how thankful we are._

_Ten: What would we do without you? TTTT_

_Vianey: Just remember, if there's anything you want us to write about, just tell us and we'll be happy to do it._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	10. 10 Take Good Care Of Her

_Finally. After all this days we can finally upload the 10th chapter. __It's only fair to warn you, this chapter sucks (it's even worse than all the previous chapters) but if you like the sand ninja, you won't complain that much. Please review, we beg of you!_

_Oh, and Kuro means black, just in case._

**Chapter Ten**

**Take Good Care Of Her**

"I'm here to save Sadako." Gaara said, pulling the sand back into his gourd.

Kisame chuckled at his words. He knew well who this red-haired kid was.

Sabaku no Gaara.

The Ichibi of Suna.

He'd heard a lot of rumors of his strength, and that the only person who had ever defeated him was Uzumaki Naruto.

Kisame looked down at the blond boy on the ground. He looked so helpless and weak. If he'd managed to defeat Gaara, it would be more than easy for him. After all, what chance did Gaara's sand had against his water jutsu?

"Great!" He cheered, preparing his sword to strike at them. "Yet another roach to squash!"

"Ninpo, Kamaitachi!" A strong gust of wind blew the sword out of Kisame's hands. The sword went flying until it was out of sight.

"Damn." Kisame muttered. He had been caught off guard.

He looked up and saw a blond girl carrying a giant fan. He knew who she was too.

Suna no Temari.

Gaara's older sister.

The Wind Tamer of Suna.

She fixed her hair, which was picked up into four ponytails on her head and leaned against her fan, acting as cocky as she could possibly be.

"You don't think I would let Gaara come alone, did you?" Her cockiness was getting into Kisame's nerves.

Behind her stood a boy with purple paintings on his face. He had a hat on the shape of cat ears and was carrying a human-sized puppet, just like the ones Sasori used.

He was Gaara's older brother.

The Puppet Master.

Itachi turned to face Sadako, who had forgotten about faking and was now staring at Gaara.

"Sadako." He said softly, holding her left hand. "Tell me, do you really want to stay here?"

"Yes, I do." She answered.

With a glint of sorrow on his blood red eyes, Itachi did a series of hand signs.

"Your chakra is no longer blocked." He told her. "I'm sorry Sad-chan. I wanted to see you and all I did was make you cry."

She suddenly felt sorry for lying to him.

"Listen, I have to leave now. If we stay here, we'll have to fight, and that's the last thing I want." He kissed her forehead. "I might not see you again, so… I guess this is good bye."

Sadako really felt like crying now, but her pride wouldn't let her. She'd promised not to cry again, no matter what. She couldn't cry. Not real tears.

Itachi stood up and turned to Kisame, who was about to hit the sand ninja with another water jutsu.

"Suiton Sui…"

"Kisame, retreat!" Itachi ordered, surprising his partner. "We can't fight, remember?"

"Yeah, Pein's orders. I know." Kisame said heavily.

Both men's figures began to blur and disappear on thin air.

"Wait!" Sasuke yelled, reaching out for Itahci'2 blurry form. "I'm not done yet!"

"I'm afraid we are." Itachi said in a cold whisper.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

All three sand siblings sat on the living room couch watching the Teen Titans marathon, when Kankuro finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering him all day.

"So, you gonna tell us?" Kankuro smiled evilly at Gaara.

"Tell you what?" Gaara asked absently, watching as Beast Boy turned from a giant gorilla into a tiny mouse.

"Why was it so important to save that Uchiha girl?"

Gaara blinked slowly.

"Just wanted to help, that's all."

"And since when are you so humanitarian?"

"Just felt like helping." Gaara shrugged.

"Damn it Gaara!" Kankuro got frustrated easily. "We both know that's not the reason."

"Calm down." Temari said, placing her hand on Kankuro's shoulder. "I'm sure Gaara has a good reason for it."

"Yeah, right. But I still thing it's suspicious." Kankuro thought out loud. "I mean, really. The instant he heard Naruto and Sasuke talking about saving Sadako, he ran like hell behind them and forgot all about our mission! Call me crazy, but I think he was worried back then."

For all answer, Gaara's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Ha, I knew it!" Kankuro said in triumph. "You like her, don't you?"

Gaara looked at Temari pleadingly. His sister just shrugged.

"I'm… not really sure."

"C'mon, it's written all over your face. The same dumb look Shikamaru has whenever he sees Temari."

Temari whacked him in the head just as Starfire was blasting Cinderblock with her star bolts.

"Ow, but it's the truth, sis." He complained rubbing his aching head. "There's no way he can deny it."

"You know, Gaara…" Temari began slowly. "I heard somewhere that the Uchiha girl likes you too."

"Really?" Gaara asked. "Where did you hear that?"

"Well, yesterday I was walking thought Konoha and I accidentally (_yeah, right) _heard Sakura and Ino talking about a sleep over they'd had." She was forced to stop and stare at Kankuro, who was noisily munching on a handful of peanuts.

"Sorry." Kankuro apologized.

"Apparently, they played truth or dare." She continued. "And her question was to answer who she liked. It seems she mentioned your name."

Gaara thought back at the times he'd talked to Sadako. She had been so nice to him. She'd never stared at him with fear or hatred.

And now he knew she liked him too. This was too good to be truth.

'_She likes me too' _Gaara thought _'That's why she's so nice at me, that's why she doesn't hate me, that's the reason she didn't run away when I asked her what love felt like.'_

"And that's why she let me kissed her…" Gaara suddenly realized he'd said those last words out loud. He tried to take them back but it was too late, because when he looked at his siblings, they held huge grins on their faces.

"No way, you did?!" Temari asked, actually yelling the words on his face.

"Who would have thought?" Kankuro laughed. "Gaara has a girlfriend!"

For just a brief amount of time, Gaara's siblings seemed to forget they were ever afraid of him. It made Gaara happy to realize it, but he was too ashamed to actually like it.

"I… I just." He tried to find an explanation for his actions, but soon realized he had none. "I didn't want to do it, it just happened."

"Well, you can't blame Shukaku for that, can you?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara shook his head no.

"That's it!" Temari decided.

Both Kankuro and Gaara looked at her like she was crazy.

"Uh, Temari…" Kankuro began.

"Tomorrow we'll visit Konoha, and you're going to ask her out." Temari commanded.

"I won't." Gaara asked simply.

"What! But why not?" She asked disappointed.

"She would only say no."

"But you just said she let you kiss her, I'm sure she'll go out with you."

"It's not that, Sasuke won't let her." He said, remembering how mad Sasuke had gotten when he'd seen them kissing.

"Hell with Sasuke!" Kankuro broke in. "She can take her won decisions."

"Well, I suppose…"

"Now that we all agree," Temari interrupted him. "You'll ask her out tomorrow."

And just like that, Gaara's sister began to make a plan for the perfect date. Only one problem… Gaara had no idea what she was talking about.

So instead of helping, he just sat there watching as Raven saved the world form inevitable doom. Man, Raven was so cool.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

So the next day…

**Village of Suna, 6:30 am **

"Gaara!" Temari shout at the top of her lungs. ""Gaara, where are you?!"

"Right here." He said annoyed.

"Where were you?" She demanded.

"There." He point to the couch behind her.

"Right, sorry. I didn't see you." Temari apologized.

"Hey, keep it down. I'm trying to sleep." Kankuro walked down the stairs, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Get ready you two." Temari ordered. "We leave in 30 minutes."

"Where are we going?" Gaara asked.

"To Konoha, you silly head." She giggled. "Today you'll ask Sadako out, remember?"

"I was hopping you would forget, onee-san."

"But why do we have to get up so early?" Kankuro yawned.

"Because." She explained. "It takes three hours to get from Suna to Konoha. It will be 9:30 when we arrive and he still has to ask her out, buy her a nice gift, pick her up about two hours later, take her to wherever the hell they're going, walk her back home and then come back to Suna."

Kankuro stared at her wide eyed.

"Wow, you've really spent some time planning this, sis." He joked.

"Shut up and get ready, we leave in 20 minutes!"

"Don't listen to her." Kankuro told Gaara as they walked upstairs to get ready. "She's just angry because she probably didn't sleep last night. I think she was planning the date she'll like to have with Shikamaru."

"I heard that!" Temari yelled angrily.

**Village of Konoha, 10:00 am**

"Damn it." Temari mumbled, looking at her watch. "We're 30 minutes late."

They would have been in time if only it hadn't taken Kankuro so much time to paint the purple lines on his face and getting his puppets ready. Having a puppeteer as a brother sure had its downsides.

"Look!" Kankuro point at something, but he moved his arm so suddenly that it almost hit Gaara on the head.

"He, watch it!" Gaara growled.

Temari looked on the direction he was pointing to and saw a ramen stand.

"C'mon Kankuro, we can't waste any more time." She scolded. "Besides, you've already had breakfast… three times."

"No, look!" He insisted. So once again, they all looked.

Sadako was standing there, outside a grocery store that was next to the ramen stand.

Instead of her usual blue sweater, she was wearing a blue shirt that was identical to the one Sasuke always wore.

_(Vianey: Sasuke lend it to her, get it?)_

Her right arm, for obvious reasons, was fully bandaged. No one could have guessed it was actually made of ice.

"New outfit." Temari commented. "I wonder what happened to the her sweater."

Gaara gulped guiltily, remembering it had been him who reduced her right sleeve to shreds.

"Yesterday, when we saved her, she was wearing a different sweater too." She remembered.

"I see nothing escapes your eye, sis." Kankuro joked.

"Not at all." She looked at Gaara. "Go on, ask her out."

Gaara didn't move.

"C'mon!" She pushed him forward.

"Ok, ok." He walked three steps, then stopped and looked at Temari. "Where should I ask her out to?"

"I don't know…" She scratched her head. "Ice cream stand?"

"Ok." Once again, he walked towards Sadako.

As he walked closer to her, he began to panic… wait, panic?

This had to be a joke. Him, Sabaku no Gaara. The legend of Suna… panicking? This couldn't be real.

His heart stopped beating when he finally reached her. Her back was turned at him, so she hadn't seen him yet.

Gaara couldn't help but thinking that she looked really cute, even if she was wearing a boy's shirt.

"Sa-Sada-ko." He stuttered, felling his legs begin to shake. This really had to be a joke.

She turned around to face him.

"G-Gaara-sama?" She stuttered, turning bright red. Obviously, she hadn't forgotten the last time they'd talked.

He tried not to remember, but the memory instantly played before his eyes like a DVD scene. He could almost feel Sadako's lips against his. Could almost taste her kiss. It tasted like…

'_C'mon boy, focus!' _He scold at himself.

"I…I was wondering…"

At that same moment, Sasuke walked outside the grocery story carrying a bag of peaches.

"Hey, onee-san. Are these enough for the peach pie or should I buy some mo…" He stared at Sadako's red face. "What's wrong?"

He turned his head and frowned deeply at the sight of Gaara.

"Yes, can I help you?" He asked dryly.

"Uh, he was just… etto…" She looked at Gaara questioningly.

"I just wanted to know," He gathered all his courage. "if you would like to go out with me today."

The Uchiha twins stared at him wide eyed.

"Ah, we'll just go to the ice cream stand, that's all." He added, noticing Sasuke's nasty expression.

"Well…" Sadako looked at her brother hopefully.

Sasuke looked away; she knew that meant '**no'.**

"I… I'm sorr…"

"She'll be there." Sasuke answered. There was nothing he hated more than the idea of Sadako going out with Gaara, but he'd promised not to interfere with her decisions.

"Really?" She asked. "I mean. Yes, I'll be there."

"Fine, I'll pick you up at…" Temari had said to pick her up two hours later. "Is 12:00 pm ok?"

Sadako looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke just shrugged.

"Yes, it's ok." She guessed.

"Ok, then… I'll be there." He said, then began to walk away.

"What she say?" Temari asked.

"She said yes." Gaara said blankly.

"Damn, don't look so exited little bro." Kankuro said sarcastically.

"Now… let's go find her a nice gift." Temari continued.

"But, I don't think it's her birthday today." Gaara said.

"Oh, poor Gaara." She grieved, shaking her head slowly. "You'll understand some day."

**Outside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, 11:15 am**

"What are we doing here?" Gaara asked, looking at the curly letters on the flower shop's sign.

"Flowers are a nice gift." She said, walking inside the shop. "Come on in."

All three of them walked inside.

"Irasshaimase!" Ino greeted from behind the counter. "Oh, Temari-chan. Are you looking for Shikamaru?"

Kankuro looked at Temari with that _'I knew it'_ expression she hated so much.

"Ah! No, no." She blushed. "I just want to buy some flowers."

"Flowers for Shikamaru?" Ino asked confused. "I don't think he likes them that much."

Kankuro burst in laughter.

"They're not for Shikamaru, damn it!" She spat. "Why does everyone always think we're dating?"

"So you're not dating?" Ino asked tilting her head.

"Agh!" Temari shook her head violently. "Gaara, just pick a flower and let's get out of here!"

She looked at her watch. 11:23 am! It was already getting late.

"Hurry up!"

Gaara stared at her. She had just yelled at him! And just for some dumb flowers he had absolutely no idea of why they were so important.

'_Kill her' _He heard Shukaku's voice inside his head. _'She can't treat us like this, she should be afraid!"_

And for about 3 seconds, he was tempted to obey, until he laid his eyes on a bucket near the window.

"Those." He point at the bucket of flowers he liked.

"Sunflowers?" Temari looked at the huge yellow flowers.

"No, the ones next to them."

Temari looked at them. They were white roses and the tip of each petal was decorated with a tiny sky blue stripe.

"Those are cute." She agreed.

Temari grabbed a single white rose and placed it on the counter.

"I'll take this one." She told Ino.

"Only one?" Kankuro asked. "We came all the way here for just one flower? Why not a dozen?"

"Because only boyfriends give their girlfriends more than one flower." She explained.

"Not necessarily." Ino said. "I think…"

She stopped on mid-sentence because Temari was giving her a death glare.

Gaara knew his sister hated being corrected more than anything. Even more than being related to Shikamaru. Temari was always right, even when she was wrong.

"So… who is it for?" Ino asked mischievously.

"Mind your own business." Gaara said coldly.

He set some money on the counter as payment for the rose, then walked out of the shop without a word.

**Outside the Uchiha compound, 12:00 pm**

Gaara took a deep breath before daring to knock on the door.

He tried to remember everything Temari had warned him to do. The white rose was on his hand and he knew exactly where they were going: The ice cream stand.

According to Temari's carefully laid plans, nothing could possibly go wrong… yeah right.

_Knock, knock._

There! He'd done it. He'd finally knocked on the door.

Footsteps were heard behind the door, then it creaked slowly open.

And guess who was there? Yup, you guessed it… Sasuke!

He had a sour look on his face, his mouth formed a nasty sneer. It seemed nothing would make him happier than using his Chidori against Gaara… that wasn't so far from what Sasuke really wanted to do.

Sasuke stared at the red haired boy before him. As he did this, he couldn't help but to wonder why his sister liked him so much.

"Sadako isn't ready yet." He told Gaara, hoping he would suddenly get stroked by lightning, or at least get bitten by a rabid dog. "She'll be here in a minute."

"Ok." Gaara replied simply, hiding the rose behind his back.

Sasuke's eye twitched. How could he act so indifferent about it? It was his beloved sister he was dating! He should be grateful Sadako had even considered going out with him.

"Listen." He said threateningly. "Don't you…"

He was about to warn Gaara about trying to kiss his sister again, when he heard Sadako walking down the stairs.

It was impressing how his expression turned from vicious pray dog to nice and caring brother as soon as he saw his sister had arrived.

"Hey." She smiled sweetly at Gaara, making Sasuke angrier than he already was.

Gaara bowed his head politely in response.

"I'll be going now Onii-san." She said.

Sadako kissed Sasuke's forehead, then walked out of the house and closed the door behind her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Here." Gaara handed Sadako the white rose. "This is for you."

"Oh, thank you." She took the flower from Gaara, her eyes sparkling happily.

So that's what the rose was for, it was to make her happy. Now it all made sense to Gaara.

He was not sure what to say. An awkward silence fell between them.

"I like your hair." Was the only thing he could think of. Not just because he'd thought of nothing else, but because he really did liked her hair.

Sadako's hair was always loose and fell on her shoulders, but today it was picked up in a ponytail. Locks of black-blue hair fell softly from her forehead and at each side of her face.

Her clothes were different too. Instead of her blue sweater and long pants, she was wearing a blue long-sleeved blouse with the Uchiha symbol painted on the back and a black mini skirt, blue tights and black leg warmers.

She was still wearing her black gloves and weird shoes, but there was no doubt that she looked really… cute. Cute was the only word Gaara could think of to describe her. She was also pretty, but cute would define her better.

"Thank you." She said, pushing locks of hair away from her eyes. "I had no time to dry it, so I just combed it up into a ponytail."

A sweat drop appeared on Gaara's forehead.

"… should we go now?" He suggested.

"Sure."

As for their date, it wasn't so different from normal dates.

As any boy does, he bought two huge bowls of ice cream. Vanilla flavored for him and chocolate chip flavored for her. As any average boy, he was kind enough to bring her spoons and napkins, even thou he had to go back because he forgot to bring some for himself.

And as any boy does, he tried to make a good impression but ended up spilling his entire ice cream bowl over Sadako's skirt and part of her blouse.

Good thing that, as any girl does, she just said _'It's ok' _while Gaara apologized again and again.

"Do you want to go now?" He asked, watching as Sadako tried to wipe the ice cream from her clothes using napkins.

"Yes, I think so." She giggled. It only made Gaara feel worse. "I'll just go to the bathroom to clean off and we can leave."

As soon as she was out of sight, Gaara heard Temari's voice calling him from the door.

"What?" He asked, stepping out of the ice cream stand.

"What just happened in there Gaara?" She nagged. "You were supposed to make a good impression and end up looking like a fool."

"It's not my fault." He said defensively. "It's not my fault they set the bowl right where I was going to put my hand. I did not saw it."

"Whatever. Here!" She hand him a box.

"What's this?" He asked.

"It's another gift. You don't think she'll be happy after you spilled the bowl on her clothes." She said, tapping the box with her index finger. "Give this to her, and let's hope she likes it."

"But, what is inside the box?"

"Here she comes, got to go." She ran and disappeared.

Sadako walked out, there was a big white stain on her clothes that could not be cleaned out.

"I'm really sorry for that." He blushed.

"I said it was ok." She looked curiously at the box.

"Oh, this is for you." He hand her the box.

"What's inside?" She asked.

"It's… well… a surprise." He had absolutely no idea what could be in the box.

Sadako opened it and gasped, then a cute little smiled formed on her lips.

"Awww, it's so cute!" She pulled a little black kitten out of the box. "Thank you Gaara-sama!"

"You like it?" He looked at the cat. It was just a normal cat, nothing was special about it.

"How did you know I love cats?" She asked, holding the kitten on front of her face.

"Lucky guess." He was secretly thanking Temari for it.

"Look," She point at it's chest. There was a patch of white hair in the shape of a heart. "it's got a huge heart."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I'll name him." She looked closely at the cat. "Kuromaru, because of his black fur."

"I like that name." He smiled at her, a real smile. What was it about her that always made him smile?

Gaara walked Sadako back home as Temari had instructed. People stared at her clothes stained with vanilla ice cream, but she didn't seem to care. She was to busy talking to Gaara that she didn't even notice some of them were even laughing.

When they reached Sadako's house, he looked at her and sighed. It had been so nice to be with her, but now she had to go.

"So, I guess I should be going." He said slowly.

"Yes." She said on a low voice. "Will you come back again?"

"Of course, I mean, if you want to."

Sadako smiled and nodded.

"I'll leave now, then." He turned around and was about to walk away when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Wait."

He turned to face her and noticed she had turned bright red.

"I'm sorry." She said, blushing even more.

"Sorry?" He looked at her confused. "Sorry for what?"

"For this." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Gaara's eyes went wide. He wasn't expecting her to do this, but he was clearly not going to push her away. All he could do was close his eyes and kiss her back.

She pulled away from him, her eyes avoiding his.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He said, lifting her face and kissing her again.

Once again there was that feeling of soaring. Soaring above painful pasts and never healing wounds, it all seemed so far behind.

There was the feeling that his heart would burst of happiness, but it didn't mattered. And, yes, there it was too. The taste he'd felt so faintly before, was now so strong there was no doubt about it. The taste of sweet cinnamon.

The taste of her kiss.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gaara sat on the living room watching 'The Lord of the Rings', when he heard someone knocking on the door.

Temari and Kankuro were out on a mission, so he knew he had to get the door himself.

He opened the door, a mailman stood there with something on his hand.

"There's a letter for you, Gaara-sama." He handed Gaara an envelope.

Gaara tipped the man, then sat back on the couch and opened the envelope. Inside it, was a card shaped on the form of a red cloud.

"Akatsuki." He mumbled.

He flipped the card over and read what was written on it.

_Sabaku no Gaara:_

_It has reached my ears the word that you're dating my sister. _

_I will not interfere in that, I'm sure she can take her own decisions._

_I just warn you, if you ever hurt her, I'll make you pay for it._

_Only one thing I want to ask from you… Take good care of her._

_Take good care of my sister._

Gaara read it and smiled, because after that last sentence, written in big bold letter, were two words final words:

**OR ELSE**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: Did you like it? I'm sure not. Anyways, we'll be out on vacations soon._

_Ten: We can finally rest from school work._

_Vianey: The bad thing is, I might not be able to upload the next chapters for a couple of weeks._

_Glacia: But don't worry, we'll keep writing (oh, wait. Is that something good?) and upload as many as possible when we come back._

_Vianey: Yeah, I know the story sucks, but thank you all for lying to me. Thank you for giving me reviews like "Your story's good." Instead of "Your story sucks, it's a piece of crap and I hope you die in order to stop the uploading of this junk." _

_Glacia: Yes, we really appreciate your nice comments._

_Ten: Oops, we've got to go now. Just one last thing, if Gaara isn't acting like Gaara, it's because this is not the original story XD._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	11. 11 Chicken Pox

We're completely sure that you might be sick of the Uchiha twins by now, so to give you a break from them, here's a little NaruHina chapter

_Hey, there. __We're completely sure that you might be sick of the Uchiha twins by now, so to give you a break from them, here's a little NaruHina chapter._

_Skye-san, do you remember you won that "Guess Ten's name" contest (Well, actually she was the only contestant. No one ever reads our comments.) and asked us to write more about Naruto-kun? Well, we wrote this chapter. It's not really good, but we still hope you like it._

_Skye, this one's for you!_

**Chapter Eleven**

**Chicken Pox**

Naruto woke up as the first rays of morning sun fell warm upon his face.

He sat up on his bed, yawning noisily and stretching his arms and legs. His tired bones made cracking sounds as he did this.

Last night, after returning from a mission with Kiba and Shino, he had been very tired. But when he reached home and finally laid down to rest, he was unable to sleep.

He kept tossing and turning, messing up the already messed up blankets of his bed. The reason was, his head and back itched a lot. He figured it was one of Shino's strange bugs that had somehow gotten inside his clothes, or maybe one of Akamaru's fleas. He'd seen the dog scratching more than once, he must surely have fleas.

So he kept scratching all night long, cursing Shino and Akamaru inside his head. And just when he'd finally managed to sleep, the sun decided it was time to wake up.

Naruto sat on his bed staring blankly ahead, unable to keep his eyes open for more than two seconds. His head felt heavy on his shoulders.

The blond ninja tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness sent him back on the bed.

"Ow." He moaned, placing both hands on his forehead to stop the spinning sensation in it.

It was then that he finally realized he was sick. His head was burning hot from fever, but… there was something more unusual than just a headache and shaky limbs.

He pat his forehead again, making sure the fever was not giving him hallucinations. No, there it was again. He ran his hands down his face desperately.

There were bumps on his face! Huge bumps that itched and hurt at the same time.

Despite his shaking legs, he ran to the closest (and only) mirror in the room.

"Oh my God!" He shrieked horrified. There were about six ugly red boils on his face.

But, what could it be? Mosquito bites? Bee stings? He did not remember seeing any of those bugs lately.

Naruto took off his shirt and stared at his reflection on the mirror. His arms and chest were covered on them. They were everywhere, even his back!

He felt something tickling on his right foot. He looked down and found what he thought was the source of the problem.

There was a big brown bug with nasty hairy legs and long antennae on its disgusting head. The bug unfolded its wings and flew away from his foot.

"Ahh!" He shrieked.

Naruto ran away from the brown bug, afraid that it may land on his head. Unfortunately for him, the bug landed right where he was going to place his foot at. There was no time to react.

_Crunch!_

He stepped on it… disgusting!

"Nooooooo!" He screamed so hard that surely all the Village heard him.

Ok, so only half the village heard him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hinata was taking a shower when the phone in her room rang.

"Naruto-kun." She smiled to herself, knowing only Naruto would call her on the most unexpected moment.

She quickly wrapped a purple bath towel around herself and ran out of the bathroom to get the phone.

"Hello?" She asked into the speaker.

"HINATA!" Naruto yelled from the other side, he sounded desperate.

"Ouch." She pulled the phone away from her. Naruto's shout had hurt her ear. "W-what…"

"Hinata, you must come to my house! It bit me and now they're everywhere!" Naruto was panting, which was a clear sign that he was running while talking. "Bring your special medicine, it's an emergency!" This things itch like hell…"

_Crash!_

There was a sound of breaking glass and falling objects.

"Sorry! I tripped over my ninja books and broke the flower pot you gave me!" Even so, he was still panting. Which meant he was STILL running.

"N-Naruto-kun." She said worriedly. "Are you ok?"

_Crash!_

Again the sound of shattering glass.

"Sorry! I tripped again and broke a bowl." He gasped. "I think… OMG, what's that?!"

"W-what…"

"There's another one in here!" He shout from the other side of the phone.

_Tap, tap, tap._

She heard the sound of kunai hitting against the ground.

"I got it!" Naruto cried in triumph.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked, afraid that he might have gone completely nuts.

"Oh, no! There's even more of them!" He shrieked. "Please, come quickly! I…"

_Bip, bip, bip._

The phone call had ended.

Hinata hung up the phone and stared at the unanimated object for a long time. She knew Naruto needed her help but, what was he so afraid of?

Well, whatever it was, Naruto needed her help. So she quickly got dressed and, remembering Naruto's words, she grabbed a bottle full of her special medicine form the first aid kit and rushed out of her room.

She was about to reach the gates of the Hyuuga compound when Neji jumped on front of her, blocking the way.

It was so sudden that she had no time to stop and bumped against her cousin. She stumbled backwards, but regained her balance again.

"Ne-Neji-niisan!" She gasped. "I-I'm sorry. I'll be careful next time."

"May I ask where you are going, Hinata-sama?" He said coldly.

"I, uhm… to… uhm, Sh-Shino's… house?" She stuttered, trying to make up an excuse for her leaving so early.

"It's Naruto, isn't it?" He asked, looking at the bottle on Hinata's hand. He knew Hinata made that medicine for Naruto's wounds only.

Hinata blushed.

"Y-Yes." She nodded, taking a couple of steps back. "I'll t-tell father later."

Neji's eyes softened. He knew Hiashi disapproved Hinata's relationship with Naruto almost as much as he disapproved Hinata herself. He thought Naruto was not worthy of a Hyuuga's attention.

It made Neji angry every time Hiashi said those words. All that man cared about was his clan, not his daughter.

Could he not see that Hinata had been happier ever since she'd become Naruto's girlfriend? Did he not know how much Hinata loved Naruto? Had he not realized that Hinata's eyes had been shining with happiness lately and that she was smiling more everyday? He would know those things if he paid a little attention to her and not only her defects.

But Neji had realized that. He knew Naruto was the only one who could really make Hinata happy. And for that, he'd sworn to do all he could to keep that beautiful smile on his cousin's face.

"Ok, then." He stepped aside.

"Thank you." She walked past him smiling sweetly.

She was already out on the other side of the gate, when she heard Neji's voice calling her.

"Hinata-sama." He said.

"Yes, Neji-niisan?"

"Say hello to Shino for me." He smiled.

"I will." She smiled back.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hinata walked inside Naruto's house, everything was messed up and Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"Na-Naruto-kun?" She called.

"Hinata, up here!"

She looked up and found Naruto on the ceiling.

"Thank goodness you came." He jumped to the ground. "I was running out of chakra."

Hinata flashed bright red and turned away. Naruto was only wearing his pants.

"Ah! Sorry about that." He apologized, putting on his shirt. "You can look now."

"Oh my, what happened to you?" She asked, running her hand down his cheek.

"I woke up this morning looking like this, it's all because of that nasty bug. I killed two of them, but there's even more!"

"What bug? What are you talking about?"

"It's… Ah! There's another one over there!" He cried out, cowering behind Hinata.

"But, Naruto-kun… that's just a cockroach." She said confused.

"A co-co-what?" He asked, tilting his head.

"A cockroach." She repeated.

She caught the bug between her thumb and index finger.

"See?" She asked, showing Naruto the bug. "It's completely harmless."

"Ah! Don't do that Hinata, it's disgusting!" He screamed, jumping like a scared little boy. "Don't touch it!"

"I know some things about bugs, Shino-kun told me. He knows a lot." She placed the bug inside an empty glass container and closed the lid. "I'll take this one to Shino-kun. He likes them."

"Plain weird." Naruto thought out loud.

"Did you say something?" She asked.

"Nope." He stared at the bug. "It can't be harmless, look what he did to me!"

He lift his sleeve to show her the boils on his arms.

"It bit me and these things itch a lot." He complained.

"Let me see." She grabbed his arms and studied them closely. "These aren't bites. It's chicken pox."

"Chicken what?" He asked.

"It's a disease." She explained. "I bet you've got fever, don't you?"

"Yup."

"I know it, it's very contagious. You might have caught the disease on your last mission."

"But…" He said thoughtfully, scratching his head. "There were no chickens on that village."

Hinata stared at him blankly. Naruto could be extremely silly sometimes. Ok, so most of the time. But she couldn't complain about it. That was one of the things she loved about him.

"No, it's got nothing to do with chickens." She giggled. "That's how the disease is called. If you get near someone who's sick, you get sick too, get it?"

"Oh, no!" He said horrified, jumping away from her. "I don't want you to get sick too."

"Don't worry, I've already been sick once so it doesn't affect me." She walked closer to him. "See? I'm fine."

"Do you think your medicine can cure this? They itch a lot!" He scratched his arms violently.

"Don't do that!" She said. "It will only get worse. I'm not sure if my medicine can help you but I'll try."

"Ok." He hand her his itching arms, expecting her to use the medicine on them.

"I think…" She said, looking at his filthy arms. "That you should take a bath first, you're covered with dried mud."

Naruto looked at his soiled arms.

"Our mission was to catch river snakes." He said embarrassed before running into the bathroom.

By the time he finished taking a bath, Hinata had already cleaned his messed up room. The bed was made, his books were piled neatly on the desk and his scattered clothes were inside the drawers.

She'd swept the floor, which was now shiny. She'd even washed the dirty dishes!

"Geez, Hinata you didn't have to do that, you know?" He said. "It's my fault if this place looks like a pig's house."

"It's ok." She smiled nicely. "You can't do it now, you're sick. Besides, staying in a dirty place is not going to make you feel better."

"Thank you Hinata." He kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome." She said. Her cheeks turning red. "Besides, I got a good present for Shino-kun."

She point at the glass container, which now held about six cockroaches.

"Shino, Shino, Shino." Naruto said. "What's so special about him?"

"What?" Hinata asked, looking at Naruto's sad face. "What is that supposed to mean."

"Nothing. I'm just saying he sounds really cool whenever you talk about him." He said begrudgingly.

"But, he's my team mate!" She said. "I was just…"

A strange idea crossed her head.

"You're not… you're not jealous… are you?" She asked shyly.

"Of course not." Naruto grinned, pulling her close to him. "You love **ME **don't you?"

Hinata turned so red, it looked like her head was about to explode and she began to shake uncontrollably.

"That's good enough for me." He said.

"H-here." She hand him the bottle of medicine.

"Thanks." He sat on his bed and poured the green liquid on his arms and face, then he took off his shirt to apply some on his chest.

Hinata looked away.

"Oi, Hinata…" She heard him calling.

"Yes?" She looked at him questioningly.

"I can't reach my back." He said, handing her the bottle. "Would you please?"

"H-H-Hai!" This was far too much for her. She tried not to faint while pouring the medicine on his back. "T-There… all done."

"Thank you Hinata."

"Y-you should rest now." She suggested. "I'm sure you'll feel better later."

"Yes." He laid down and pulled the sheets over him.

"I-I guess I should leave now." Hinata said. "I'll be back tomo…"

"Hinata." Naruto interrupted her. "Could you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?"

Hinata looked at him and remembered herself when she was a little girl. On dark stormy nights, she always asked her father to stay with her until she'd fallen asleep, but her father would always sneer at her and tell her only the weak were afraid. She would have given up anything just to hear her father say 'yes' for once.

"Yes." She said softly, trying to hold back the tears from that stupid self pity she couldn't seem to get rid of. "I'll stay with you."

She sat next to him on the bed, hopping he wouldn't notice her glassy eyes. But he did, he always noticed everything.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned, sitting back up. "Is it something I said?"

"No, it's… it's nothing." She tried to convince herself she was fine, but her eyes still cried. Hot tears burned her cheeks as they ran down her face.

"Tell me, who made you this sad?" He asked. "Who made my Hinata cry?"

"I-am-fine." She said each word slowly, whipping the tears from her eyes. "I just… I think I caught a cold last night. It makes my eyes watery."

"Oh." He said, not half convinced with her answer. "Then it's not my fault?"

"No, silly." She giggled. "It's not your fault."

"I'm glad." He laid down again, resting his head on her lap and pulling the sheets to his chin.

Hinata ran her hand down his blond hair. Since he had just gotten off the shower, his head was not spiky as usual. Instead, it was smooth and straight.

"Thank you Hinata." He whispered.

"For what?" She asked, thinking it was her who should be thankful.

"For staying with me…"

Just before falling asleep, Naruto remembered a single fragment of the only poem he had ever read. He'd bought the book thinking it was something interesting, but he just read one page of it, thinking it was stupid. Now he regretted it.

_When the light was extinguished,_

_She covered me warm, _

_And she prayed to the angels_

_To keep me from harm-_

_To the queen of the angels_

_To keep me from harm._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Where the hell is Naruto?!" Sakura asked annoyed. "He knew we where supposed to have a mission today."

It wasn't that it bothered her to go on a mission with Sasuke. What truly bothered her was that they weren't going to be alone, because Sasuke's damned sister was coming with them in order to replace Naruto.

"I called him this morning." Kakashi sensei told her. "He sounded rather sleepy. It seems he's got chicken pox."

"Shouldn't we go visit him? He might need some help." Sadako said. "Sasuke and I have already been sick once, so I don't think it would affect us."

"Tch." Was Sasuke's only reply.

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_**Disclaimer: **__We do not own the poem "For Annie." It was written by Edgar Allan Poe, he deserves the credit, not us. We don't own Naruto, by the way. (I forgot the disclaimer on our last chapter XD… oopsie)_

_Vianey: Did you like it? I know it's not much, but we still tried our best._

_Glacia: Yeah, you can't ask a girl who knows nothing about love to write a romantic fic._

_Ten: Anyways, I'll like to thank those who sent their reviews._

_Glacia: Yes, here we go._

_Vianey: Thanks a lot: __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, Hana-Tenshi, Freezing Embers Friend and cocogirl198.**_

_Glacia/Ten: Thank you._

_Glacia: For sending your reviews._

_Ten: And adding our story to your favorites._

_Vianey: We are very thankful._

_Glacia: Once again, our special thanks to __**sailorskyeblue and Hana-Tenshi.**_

_Ten: Thank you for all you do._

_Vianey: Got to go now, people hate us for writing too much author notes, but we just can't help it._

_YukiTenVianey Team out… _


	12. 12 A New Mission I Prommised Not To

Hey everyone

_Hey everyone. Sorry it took us so long to __update, we were just a little bit… busy. Anyways, the real action begins from this chapter on, so please keep reading. (Actually, were not asking you to read… we're begging you to read!) And don't forget to review, please._

_We weren't sure which name would be better for this chapter, so we just used both.__ Oh, and the transferring scrolls are just something that we made up (more or less like summoning scrolls), so please understand if it's messed up or if it sounds stupid._

**Chapter Twelve**

**A New Mission**

**(I promised not to)**

Naruto woke up as soon as the alarm clock on his bed stand began to ring.

Normally, he would have thrown it out the window and crawl back in bed, but today was different.

"Hurray!" He cheered, jumping out of bed. Today was a great day.

After spending two weeks inside his house because of the chicken pox, he could finally go out. But that wasn't the best thing about this day.

The thing was, Tsunade had called a great number of Shinobi for a special mission, and he was among those Shinobi! There was no way he could miss it.

As fast as he could, Naruto jumped into his orange outfit, then half-brushed his spiky blond hair while he was trying to brush his teeth.

"Wish me luck!" He waved at his reflection on the mirror before running out the door.

About ten minutes later, he burst through the doors of the Hokage's office like a rampaging bull.

"Old lady Tsunade!" He shout, being as noisy as ever. "I'm ready for the mission!"

"Great." Kiba groaned, holding his left ear. "Now could you please shut up and wait for Tsunade-sama?"

"Sure." Naruto said.

He had actually paid no attention to Kiba because Hinata was standing behind him. He walked to her and kissed her right cheek.

"Hey!" He grinned.

"H-hi." She stuttered.

"Big mission here, huh?"

"Yes." She agreed seriously. "All twelve of us are here."

"You mean thirteen." He turned to look at Sasuke's sister.

"Well." She smiled. "It's fourteen if you count Akamaru-kun."

"Look, she's coming." Sakura announced as Tsunade walked inside the office.

"Hey, so you finally decide to come!" Naruto frowned. "We've been waiting forever!"

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked. "You just got here."

"Whatever looser." Naruto sneered at Shikamaru.

Ino frowned and cracked her knuckles.

"Why you…"

"Could all of you just shut up?" Sasuke asked clearly annoyed.

"So, you gonna tell us or what?" Naruto demanded.

"Ok, ok. I'm on it." Tsunade answered, sitting behind her desk. "All of you, listen up!"

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Three days ago, we received a letter from the land of waves requesting our help. Apparently, they've been attacked by some strange ninja who appeared out of nowhere." She made a pause, then continued. "We've already sent a group formed by ANBU and Jounin to neutralize the attack, but they just keep coming out of thin air, it's too hard to hold them back."

Godaime was worried, Naruto could tell by her face.

"So, you want us to go help them?" Neji asked.

"Not exactly." Tsunade stood up. "Yesterday, we received a report from Kakashi. It seems the enemies are sound ninja, but he says their clothes are a little… odd."

"What do you mean odd?" Sakura asked.

"They're wearing thick coats and gloves." Tsunade answered. "And closed shoes."

_Closed shoes… _That rang a bell in Naruto's head for some reason.

"Some members of the ANBU squad spotted a sound ninja coming out of a cave. When they explored the cave, they found a transferring inside. That's where the sound ninja are coming from."

"Wow." Tenten muttered.

"Some of them tried to use the scroll and travel to wherever the enemy is coming from, but…" She made a dramatic pause. "There's a missing part of the scroll."

"What does that mean?" Rock Lee asked.

"It means" Tenten explained. "that the enemy can use the scroll on the other side to travel here, but our ninja can't use it to travel to the place they're coming from."

"Exactly." Tsunade told Tenten. "We need the missing piece of the scroll so our ninja can travel there."

Naruto scratched his head. Where in the hell were they going to find a tiny piece of scroll? This was so confusing.

"Now, if it's not too much trouble." Tsunade continued. "Would you please give me the missing piece, Sadako?"

Everyone looked at Sadako, who had turned ghost white.

This was even more confusing.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"M-m-me?" Sadako stuttered. She was almost out of breath.

"It is obvious" Tsunade told her. "that the transferring scroll in the land of waves leads to the land of snow. I can tell by the description of their clothes, because you wear the same shoes they wear."

Sadako's head was spinning. This wasn't supposed to happen, this couldn't be real.

"Kakashi told me about you, and where you are from." Godaime told Sadako. "You used the transferring scroll on the other side to travel into the land of waves and then you came to Konoha, am I right?"

Sadako nodded.

"Even if she did, what makes you so sure she has the missing piece?" Sasuke asked defensively.

Tsunade was about to answer when Sadako spoke up.

"I do have it." She said on a tiny voice that was almost a whisper.

Sasuke's eyes went wide.

"You do?" He asked.

Sadako pulled a silver locket from around her neck. She always kept it hidden under her sweater, so no one had ever seen it.

With great care, Sadako opened the silver locket and pulled out a tiny piece of yellowish paper.

"I'm sorry for this… I did not meant for this to happen." She apologized. "My sensei hid those scrolls so I could come back some day. When I returned, I stole this piece so no one could follow me. I… I didn't know they could still use it."

She handed Tsunade the piece of scroll. It had the word "Travel" written on it.

"You see this?" She point at the words written on it. "On a transferring scroll, there are the words "Travel" and "Return", along with some other writings. You stole this piece, and no one can use it to travel, but it still has "Return" on it, so they can use it to come here from the other side."

"I'm sorry." Sadako lowered her head. "I guess I should have taken both."

"Well, anyways." Tsunade sighed. "Now, down to your mission."

"You want us to deliver the missing piece?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh, more or less." She bit her lip.

"What does that mean?" Sadako asked, afraid of what Tsunade would answer.

"I need all of you to take this piece to the land of waves. Once there, use transferring scroll, travel to the snow village and…"

"NO!" Sadako shout. "Whatever you're planning, we can't go there!"

"And why is that?"

"It's too dangerous! I've fought them before, they're not that strong, but one of their leaders is! Half the snow village was whipped out on a single night! That man killed my sensei! I…"

"And just because you couldn't handle them you think none of us can?!" Sakura spat.

Sadako could tell everyone agreed with Sakura.

"What makes you think we can't do this? What makes you think the ninja of your village were stronger than us?" She asked, her green eyes sparkling with anger.

"I did not say that!" Sadako shout. "But it's still too dangerous! You've never been there, you don't know what it's like! Trust me, you don't want to go there."

Sadako dropped her voice to a whisper.

"That's the place where your tears freeze."

Sakura stared angrily at her.

"I can't go there, I promised not to!" She turned to face Tsunade. "Why send Gennin? ANBU would do a better job!"

"All our high ranked ninja are defending the land of waves." Tsunade told her.

"What about Chunnin?"

"If I sent the Chunnin, our village would be defenseless against an enemy attack. Whether you like it or not, you are the only ones who can do this."

"I'm telling you, we can't. Send us there and you'll be sending us to death!" Sadako was feeling frustrated.

"Hell with you!" Sakura shout. "Tsunade-sama, we don't need her. There are already twelve of us here, one more won't make a difference. We can do it ourselves and…"

"No, you can't." Tsunade cut her out. "Sadako is the only one in here who has actually been in that place. You'll need a guide or you'll surely die."

"But…" Sakura protested.

"I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

An awkward silence followed her words.

"P-please." Hinata spoke up. "I'm sure that place brings you bad memories, but… we need your help. If our ninja can't stop them, they will attack our village too."

"Hinata is right, you have to help us." Naruto agreed.

"This is your village too." Tenten told her. "Won't you help us?"

Sadako closed her eyes, trying to decide what to do.

_Don't ever come back here. _She remembered Kori's words. She'd promised not to, but now Konoha needed her help and turning her back on the people who had been so nice at her would be acting like a coward.

She sighed. Kori wouldn't have thought twice. Kori would have helped them.

"Sorry." Sadako apologized, taking the piece of scroll and placing it inside the locket again. "I'm such a coward. You really shouldn't trust me, I'm not that good. But I'll be you guide if you want to."

"Gee, thanks." Sakura said sarcastically.

"C'mon Sakura." Ino whispered on Sakura's ear. "You know we need her."

"This is an A ranked mission, I trust you'll do it well." Tsunade smiled. "Uchiha Sadako! You're the leader on this mission. Your companions are…

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond haired boy with blue eyes gave them a thumbs up sign.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" The dark haired boy blinked in response.

"Haruno Sakura!" The green eyed girl with bubble gum pink hair frowned.

"Nara Shikamaru!" The boy with spiky hair and bored face yawned.

"Yamanaka Ino!" The blond haired girl with ponytail smiled cutely.

"Akimichi Chouji!" The chubby boy with brown hair munched a handful of chips.

"Inuzuka Kiba!" The brown haired boy grinned, showing his pointy fangs. Akamaru barked.

"Hyuuga Hinata!" The brunette girl with white eyes played nervously with her fingers.

"Aburame Shino!" The boy with sunglasses dug his hands on his pockets.

"Hyuuga Neji!" The white eyed boy closed his eyes cockily.

"Tenten!" The brown haired girl with buns smiled sweetly.

"Rock Lee!" The skinny boy with a green jumpsuit and huge eyes grinned at them with sparkly white teeth.

"Your mission is to use the scroll, travel to the snow village, stop the enemy on that side and destroy the scroll by any means necessary!"

"Ok team, listen up!" Sadako called out. "As you already know, it's extremely cold on that place, so go home and gather all winter clothes you have. We need sweaters, thick jackets, gloves, socks, hats… anything that can protect you from low temperatures! Bring as many as you can carry and we'll met later at Konoha's gates! We leave when you are ready!"

"Hai!"

"And don't forget to bring food." Chouji called as all ninja ran out the office doors.

"Ah, Shino-san…" Sadako called the boy before he left.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Well, I understand you are a beetle master from the Aburame clan, right?"

"That is right. Is there a problem with it?" His voice was scary. "Are you afraid of bugs?"

"N-no… it's just that… well, I'm not sure if your bugs can survive the cold weather."

"Don't worry." He said as he walked out the door. "My Kikaichu can survive anything."

"O-ok." Sadako smiled. "Just wanted to make sure."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As they walked home to gather everything they needed, Sasuke couldn't stop worrying about his sister.

She hadn't uttered a single word since they'd left the Hokage's office. There was definitely something wrong with her.

"Onee-san…" He grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to stop. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Hokage-sama can't force you to do it, it's…"

"But it's my fault." She said. "When I took that piece of scroll, I thought no one else could use it. But I only stole the part that lets you travel, I should have destroyed the whole thing so no one could use it from the other side. It's my fault those innocent people are suffering now! It will also be my fault if Konoha is attacked! I'm responsible for…"

Sasuke pulled her close and hugged her tightly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. How could you possibly know this would happen?"

"I didn't know." She pulled away from him. "But I can't use ignorance to escape responsibility. I should have known better but…"

_But I was to scared to think. _She couldn't tell Sasuke that.

"So, you've decided to go, then?" Sasuke asked her.

"Yes. Now, let's get everything we need." She tugged at his hand. "Or else we'll be late."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

30 minutes later, they were standing at Konoha's gates.

Naruto and Sakura were already there, as well as Kiba, Hinata and Shino. Each of them carried giant-sized backpacks filled with winter clothes and food.

3 minutes later, Neji, Tenten and Rock Lee arrived. In about five more minutes, Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji had arrived too.

"Listen up team!" Sadako shout. "Our mission starts here!"

She held up the silver locket that held the missing piece of the scroll inside.

"We'll return the missing piece of the scroll and stop the enemy at the other side. Is there any question?" No one spoke up. "Ok, then. Let's go!"

All fourteen of them (including Akamaru) walked through the gates of Konoha and into the forest.

"_Come on, vamonos. Everybody, let's go!" _Naruto began singing. "What's up with you guys? Sing with me!"

Everyone stared at him like he was crazy.

"Have you been watching Dora the Explorer?" Sakura asked, trying not to laugh.

"Perhaps." Naruto grinned.

Hinata and Tenten giggled while Neji, Shino and Sasuke rubbed their heads annoyed.

"_Where are we going?" _Naruto continued singing while clapping his hands. _"Land of Snow! Where are we going?"_

"_Land of Snow!" _Kiba and Rock Lee sang along with Naruto.

This was far too much.

Everyone, including Sasuke, began to laugh. Sakura was laughing so hard, she was forced to stop walking.

No one would admit it, but they were as eager as Naruto to start this new mission… everyone but Sadako.

She was the only one (besides Shino, of course) who wasn't laughing. She just looked at them with a sad smile on her face.

_The place where you tears freeze._

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**Disclaimer: **_We don't own Naruto. We don't own Dora the Explorer either (in fact, we don't even like her). _

_Vianey: I just add that dumb song because I thought it would be funny. Naruto learned the song because he spent two weeks inside his house with chicken pox. I think there was nothing else on TV._

_Glacia: And if you're wondering why we know the song._

_Ten: Well that's easy… we had chicken pox once XD._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	13. 13 Curse Of The Ice Kunoichi

Oh, no

_Oh,__ no. We apologize for the delay, this chapter should have been finished about three weeks ago. We are terribly sorry, but there were just so many things getting on the way. First, we got struck by hurricane Dolly, then the electricity gets suspended for two days due to the strong wind. That means we had no computer and no internet and the worst part is that our minds were totally blocked so we couldn't come up with anything new to write about. We pushed ourselves to hard and the only thing we could manage was this lousy chapter. This one brings more ooc characters, more love triangles and a bunch of other dumb things. So while Glacia stares hatefully at me, Ten beats up the computer's keyboard and my inferiority complex grows as I slam my head against the wall, please read and review… flames accepted (really, we're that desperate)._

_sigh I hate myself._

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Curse Of The Ice Kunoichi **

"Can we stop now?" Ino begged. "We've been walking for about twelve hours."

"Ten." Sadako replied.

"What?"

"It has only been ten hours."

"I don't care how many hours!" Ino frowned. "Can we please stop now? My feet are very tired!"

Sadako looked at the rest of them, they looked tired too. Even Naruto, who had started the mission with an eager smile on his face, wasn't feeling so eager anymore.

Besides, their heavy backpacks filled with winter clothes and food were slowing them down, making it harder to travel. It should have taken them less than one day to reach the land of waves, but after walking for ten hours, they weren't even halfway there.

"Sadako-dono." Shino said on a serious tone. "Even bugs must retire to their lair once the sun is set."

"Sun… set?" Sadako looked at him blankly.

She looked up; it was already 8:00 pm, which meant that the sun had set about fifty minutes ago. The sky was dark and the moon shone brightly along with its numerous stars.

Why hadn't she noticed it was already dark? All this time, she had just been walking forward, her head empty as if all her thought had been blown away with the inexistent breeze surrounding the forest.

She hadn't noticed the darkening sky or the sound of cracking leafs under her shoes. She'd noticed not the scratches on her face, made by tree branches, nor the excessive weight on her shoulders due to the backpack she was carrying.

She'd walked as much as everyone else and was probably carrying a bigger load than any of them. But still, she wasn't tired at all.

Why couldn't she feel tired like all of them?

Why couldn't Sadako be like them?

"Yes, sorry." She shook her head. "I didn't notice the sun had set."

"What, are you blind?" Sakura asked, being as nasty as ever.

Sasuke took a step forward and was about to yell at Sakura when Sadako spoke up.

"Not anymore." She said her voice hollow.

Everyone stared at her, wondering what her words meant. Only Sasuke could understand.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey, Chouji. Easy on the food!" Shikamaru scolded. "We need provisions, remember?"

All Shinobi sat around a fireplace, which had been lit by Sasuke's fire jutsu.

Hinata had prepared soup, using the meat of a rabbit that Kiba and Akamaru had hunt in the forest. Until now, Chouji had eaten six bowl of soup and was also eating the rice balls that Shikamaru's mother had given them.

"Sorry." Chouji apologized, stuffing yet another rice ball in his mouth. "But I've walked so much without eating anything."

"You're so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

"H-here." Hinata handed Sasuke two bowls of soup.

"Thank you."

Sasuke looked at her, Hinata was especially beautiful tonight. Her dark hair shone brightly under the pale moon. A moon as pale as her gray eyes. A moon not nearly as beautiful as Hinata's shy eyes.

She smiled at him and for a brief moment, Sasuke realized that Hinata was looking at him. She was not trying to avoid his gaze like she always did. She wasn't staring at Naruto with longing eyes neither.

No, not this time.

Hinata's pale gray eyes were staring directly into his charcoal black eyes.

She, Hinata. The princess of Konoha was finally looking at him. Not Uzumaki Naruto, but Uchiha Sasuke.

But as eternal as it seemed to Sasuke, that brief moment only lasted for about five seconds. Before he could even smile back at her, Naruto walked behind Hinata and swung his arm around her shoulders.

Sasuke stared in dismay as Hinata's eyes turned away from him only to look dreamily into Naruto's sapphire blue eyes.

"Hey pretty princess." He grinned stupidly at her.

Sasuke really wanted to wipe that stupid grin away from his face. But then he looked at Kiba, who was sitting a few feet away with an angry look on his face, and realized he wasn't the only one.

"Have you eaten already?" Naruto asked Hinata, backing a few steps away from her.

"N-no, not yet." She stuttered.

"Can I have some spoons?" Sasuke asked, trying to catch Hinata's eye again.

"Hai." Hinata handed Sasuke a pair of spoons, but she never once looked at his face.

"I haven't eaten yet either, I'm waiting for you." Naruto told her. He held her hand and pulled at it gently. "Come with me."

Hinata smiled sweetly and marched behind him. They sat down next to Sakura and Ino, who were arguing about how much they'd each eaten and making nasty comments about each other's weight.

This was too much for both boys.

With a groan, Kiba hastily stood up and walked angrily away, disappearing between the dark trees.

Akamaru looked at Shino questioningly. _Do I follow him? _His little eyes seemed to ask. _Should I follow him?_

"Better not to, little one." Shino told him, patting the puppy's head. "I think he needs to be alone."

As for Sasuke, he just turned around and walked to the spot where his sister was sitting at. And old tree away from all other Shinobi.

"Pretty princess." He mumbled angrily to himself. "I mean, really. That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard. It's so disgusting."

_Oi, baka! _Called a voice inside his head. _Didn't you just call her "Princess of Konoha"? That's stupid too, don't you think? _

It was.

Sasuke was so ashamed, he could have stabbed himself with a kunai. It really was a good thing that both his hand were full.

But as soon as he reached the place where Sadako was sitting at, he forgot about Hinata for a moment.

His sister sat there with an empty look on her face. She'd been like that since they'd left Konoha.

"Here." He hand her a bowl of rabbit soup.

"Arigato." Sadako thanked him, but instead of eating she set the bowl aside.

"You're not going to eat it?"

"I'm not hungry." She said flatly.

"But you haven't eaten anything." Sasuke told her. Concern was clear on his voice. "C'mon, you'll get sick."

"I'm not hungry." She repeated. "You can have it if you want to."

"Then I guess I'll have to ask you now." Sasuke sighed. "Tell me, what are you so worried about?"

"I'm fine." She was really getting into Sasuke's nerves now.

"Ok, fine. Have it your way." Sasuke frowned. "If you say nothing is wrong, then it's not. But just eat the stupid soup before you starve to death."

Sadako let out a small giggle, the only emotion she'd shown since they'd gone through the gates of Konoha.

"Starve to death?" She smiled. "That would be really bad, won't it?"

Then she must have remembered how hungry she was, because in less than a minute, her bowl was empty as well as Sasuke's.

"Hey, I thought you weren't hungry." Sasuke smiled.

"Same to waste it, thou." Sadako shrugged.

As she did this, Sasuke caught a glimpse of the shiny silver chain around her neck. The locket hanging from it, he had seen it before.

"Eh… onee-san?"

"Hm?"

"That thing around your neck… is… is it?"

"I see you remember it." She said on a low voice.

Sasuke did remember. It had been Itachi's gift the day they turned four.

That day, Sasuke had received thousands of presents from every member of the Uchiha clan, but Sadako wasn't as lucky. They all seemed to forget about her despite the fact that the Uchiha twins were supposed to be… well… two. The only present she'd received was a silver locket from Itachi and a picture that Sasuke gave her to place inside it.

"I didn't know you still had it." He said, resting his back against the tree trunk. "It really surprised me when I saw it at the Hokage's office."

"I tried to get rid of it… when I learned about the Uchiha's fate." She clutched the locket with her left hand. "But… it's really hard, you know?"

Sasuke felt sorry for her. Sadako had been away for ten years, holding on to nothing but a silver locked and an old picture.

"Can I see it?" He asked.

"Sure." She pulled it off and hand it to Sasuke. "Here."

Sasuke took the locket and opened it. With great care, he pulled out the missing piece of the scroll and looked at the pictures inside.

On the left side was a picture of three year old Sasuke with a huge grin on his face hugging three year old Sadako. Her sick eyes were heavily bandaged and she held a sad smile on her face. Itachi was on the picture too, his left hand on top of Sadako's head, his right hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

On the right side was a picture of ten year old Sadako with a white haired woman. Her arms were wrapped around Sadako's shoulders like a loving mother and they both held huge grins on their visibly happy faces.

"Who is she?" Sasuke asked, pointing at the white haired woman with cat-like eyes.

"That's my sensei." Sadako smiled. "Her name's Kori, I've told you about her before."

"You look really happy on this picture." Sasuke told her.

"I was." She said with a far away look on her eyes.

Sasuke stared at her. _Was… _Sadako **used to be** happy, did that mean she was not happy right now?

He hand the locket back to Sadako and stood up.

"I'm going for a walk, want to come?"

"What?" She asked surprised. "Aren't you tired?"

"No." He lied. "Want to come with me?"

"No, than you. I'll like to rest now."

"Ok."

Sasuke turned around and walked deeper into the forest. He'd been walking for about five minutes when he heard someone talking.

"Stupid –_whump! _–idiotic -_whump! -_good for nothing -_whump! _-baka!"

It was Kiba, cursing out loud and slamming his head against a tree with each word.

"Why didn't you –_whump! –_ask her –_whump! _–out before this –_whump! –_happened?!"

Kiba pulled away from the tree and started to walk in circles.

"You never told her because you wanted her to be happy, right?!" He shout to himself. "Well, look at her! She's happy now, and what's left for you? Nothing!"

He picked up a large stone and crushed it angrily with his hands until it turned to dust.

"Who does that baka think he is? Treating her like a property, it…" Kiba suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. "God damn it Sasuke, are you enjoying the show? Come out! I can smell your arrogance all the way here."

Sasuke stepped from behind a tree.

"Came to make fun of me?" Kiba asked. "Go on! I don't care anymore!"

"Actually, I was taking a walk." Sasuke answered coldly. "You just happen to be in my way."

"Yeah, whatever." Kiba sat down on a moss covered rock.

Sasuke kept on walking, but was stopped by Kiba's words.

"You like her too, don't you?" He asked.

"Who? Hinata?"

"No. I mean Sakura, baka!" Kiba said sarcastically. "Of course I mean Hinata."

Sasuke stared coldly at him.

"No, I don't."

"C'mon! I know you do. After all, **I'm **the one who takes care of her." He stood up. "It's supposed to be Neji's job, but I do it because I want to. I've seen the way you look at her, so you can't deny it."

"What part of 'I don't like Hinata' don't you get?" Sasuke frowned.

"The part where you say 'don't'." Kiba insisted.

"Well, her it goes again: I **DON'T** like Hinata!" Sasuke shout. "I Don't."

"Yeah, right." Kiba sneered.

This was getting into Sasuke's nerves, now he was acting like a fool just to avoid Kiba's insistent questions. Sasuke didn't want Kiba to know that he **did** liked her, but his stubbornness was frustrating.

"So what if I **do** like her?" He shout, before realizing what he was saying. "What if I told you I like Hinata since academy days? What then, huh? What would you do if…"

_Oh, crap. _He had just realized what he was saying.

"I knew it." Kiba grinned. "Dude, it was so obvious."

"Shut up!" Sasuke shout, but was actually glad that no one else could hear them.

"Well, I can't say I like the idea of more competence, but I'm actually relieved." Kiba climbed on a tree like a wild cat and crouched on one of its branches. "I've never seen you fall for a girl before, and I was beginning to believe you were gay or something. It was getting kind of creepy to go on missions with you."

"Competence? What do you mean by…" Sasuke's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute! What do you mean by gay? What the fuck are you talking about imbecil?"

"I mean that you have Sakura and Ino who are dying to be with you and all you do is turn them down." Kiba scratched his head. "I don't think you realize how lucky you are. Hinata is the only girl who actually hangs around Akamaru and me."

"Well, if you like those two that much, you can have them."

"C'mon, they're not that bad. Ino is actually pretty."

"Maybe so, but I don't like blonds."

"How 'bout Sakura?"

"I don't like cherries." Sasuke made a disgusted face. "And Sakura always smells like them, it's sickening."

"Hinata smells like blue berries." Kiba said, hanging upside down from the branch he was sitting at.

"Yeah, and you smell like a dog."

"Hey, many girls like dogs."

"But not their smell."

"Who knows?" Kiba smiled mischievously. "Maybe your sister likes it, dude!"

"Don't even think about it." Sasuke said threateningly.

"Please, it was a joke." Kiba chuckled. "I don't like you twin, she looks like you for God's sake!"

"Even if you did, there's no way she would go out with you." Sasuke smirked. "You're not that lucky."

"I bet you wouldn't let her."

"I must say you are really annoying." Sasuke frowned.

"Uchiha Sasuke is an over protecting brother." Kiba joked. "Who would have thought?"

"No, I'm not. I only say so because Sadako is dating Gaara right now."

"Gaara? The Shukaku of Suna?"

"Yeah, so unless you want your bones turned to dust, I suggest you to stay away from her."

"Dude, I've already told you I don't like her. I only like Hinata. Besides… it seems like your sister has a strange taste for boys." Kiba jumped to the ground. "Maybe it's because she spends so much time around you. Perhaps she even that emo guys like you are normal."

"Look, I don't know what emo means and… agh, why am I still talking to you? I've got better things to do."

"Oh, yeah? Like wha…" kiba stood stiff.

"What now?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"That smell." Kiba sniffed the air. "I don't recognize it."

"What smell?" Sasuke asked. "What does it smell like?"

"Dried blood." Kiba had a worried look on his face. "Anger… they're heading for the camp, we've got to get back!"

"Shit, Sadako is in there!" Sasuke shout, running back to the camp.

"Everyone's in there!" Kiba ran next to Sasuke. "Akamaru is on danger!"

"How many of them?"

"Twenty." Kiba sniffed the air again. "Twenty-five."

"Damn, we've got to hurry up."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Ice, it's frozen… it's growing now… won't stop… it keeps spreading… won't stop… chakra, it grows with it…_

Voices of the past haunted Sadako, even in her dreams. Memories of a past that was still here and that would follow her no matter how far she ran.

_My arm, it hurts… getting heavier… I can't stop it… it hurts… must stop using chakra… must stop using ninjutsu… impossible I can't… keep moving… keep going… it's the only way… my fingers, my wrist, my elbow… my shoulder… my whole arm… keeps spreading, can't stop it… it won't stop… won't stop…_

"Get up!" Sakura shout. "Everyone, get up!"

Sadako woke from the haunting past to a reality that was even worse.

"Sakura-san." Sadako jumped to her feet. "What is…"

A kunai went whistling through the air, right next to her ear. Ino cried in pain as it struck her left shoulder.

"We're under attack!" Sakura shout.

Sadako looked around at the ninja surrounding them. There were about twenty of them, the Konoha symbol was engraved on their headbands. Anger and insanity were reflected on their eyes and their clothes were splattered with blood.

"Who are they?" She asked Sakura while trying to avoid a shuriken.

The others were awake now and they were fighting as well, but it was no use. The enemy formed a circle around them, they couldn't escape.

"Jounin from Konoha." Sakura answered. "You see the mark across their headbands? That distinguishes them as exiles. About two weeks ago they were sent to stop an uprising on a near village. But not only did they not complete their mission and disobeyed direct orders, they also slaughtered half of the village's population which was only inhabited by civilians."

Sakura threw a kunai and hit one of the enemies on the knee.

"Tsunade-sama vanished them from the village… I didn't think they would be here."

One of them tried to run past the two girls and hit Chouji, but Sadako kicked him hard on the stomach. The man went flying back.

"Vanished?" Sadako asked. "Why didn't she just kill them?"

"Because they don't have what it takes to do it!" Answered a curly haired woman.

She threw a kunai towards Neji, but he easily caught it between his fingers.

"Tsunade-sama thought it would be cruel." Sakura stroke the face of a black haired man.

Sadako stared at her. Cruel? These ninja were attacking Gennin in the middle of the night. Jounin against Gennin was not an even fight. Did Sakura really think the enemy would spare their lives just because it was cruel?

"I don't think you know what cruelty means." Sadako frowned.

The curly haired woman ran to her, but Sadako easily knocked her down and buried a kunai in her throat. Blood gushed out of the wound as the woman quivered and gasped for air.

"What are you doing?!" Sakura yelled. "We can't kill them!"

"What?"

"If we kill them, they'll do the same thing to us."

"But… they are going to kill us anyway."

"Look, we just have to hold them back until we find a way out." Sakura dug her elbow on a fat man's stomach. "There's too many of them, we can't just stay here and fight. We must go!"

Sadako turned to look at the others. They weren't trying to kill the enemy, they were just trying to keep them away.

"Ino-chan!" Tenten cried out.

Ino had been knocked to the ground by a huge red haired man. Everyone was busy with their own fight; there was no one who could help her.

The man raised his fist at her. Ino could only close her eyes and wait for the hit to fall on her… she heard the impact of his fist against something, but felt no pain whatsoever.

Ino opened her eyes and found Sasuke standing before her. He'd stopped the blow with his bare hands.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun…"

"You little…" The man tried to hit Sasuke with his free hand.

Sasuke easily dodged it, then jumped and kicked the man's huge head, knocking him out.

"Are you ok?" He asked Ino.

Sadako couldn't believe Sakura's words. Run away…? Impossible. They were surrounded by a group of enemies that clearly outnumbered them AND outranked them. No matter how strong they were, they were still on disadvantage against this ninja exiles. Sakura didn't want to fight back, but they couldn't escape either. They were surrounded.

"So that's your plan… just run away?" She asked Sakura. "Forgive me but its plain stupid!"

"Think what you want." Sakura kicked a blond woman aside. "But that's the way we Konoha Shinobi fight."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed it yet…" Sadako threw a kunai to a nearby enemy. It went right through his head. The man fell lifelessly on the floor. "I'm not from Konoha."

Sakura looked at her wide eyed.

"What? You can't take them down on your own." Sakura warned her while avoiding senbon needles. "There's just no way you can do that."

"There is."

_Don't do it. _Warned a voice inside her head. _It's too dangerous. _

But she couldn't listen to it. Saving her team was the only think she cared about now.

"Please, tell the others." She told Sakura. "At my signal, you must all jump as high as you can."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"Absolutely."

There was nothing Sakura hated more that receiving orders from Sadako, but this were desperate times.

"Got it!"

When the word had spread through all Genin, all that was left to do was give the signal.

"Now!" Sadako shout.

Just as they had been told, they all jumped as high as they could, leaving the enemy bellow.

Sadako aimed at the floor and began forming hand signs. An ice ninjutsu would be enough.

_Must stop using chakra… must stop using ninjutsu._

"Subzero no Jutsu!"

Cold air blasted in all directions. Those below were frozen solid, turned to ice statues as soon as the jutsu hit them. There was no way out of it, the ice would never melt away and even if for some reason it ever did… there would be nothing left but a puddle of water where the statues stood now.

Bound by the law of gravity, the Genin of Konoha fell on the floor again, but there was nothing to worry about now.

"What the…"

They all stared at frozen figures of the enemy, they were still forming a circle on the clearing, for that was the last thing they'd been doing.

Naruto stared at them open mouthed. Frozen solid, he could see through them as if the enemy had been made of water and not flesh.

"I can't believe it…" Sakura mumbled to herself. "She actually did it."

"Etto…" Tenten stared at the statues. "Is there any chance… they're not going to wake up… are they?"

"No." Sadako shook her head.

"But, what if the ice melts?" Chouji asked. "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"That won't happen." Sadako told him. "This is no normal ice, it won't melt even if you put it inside an oven. Besides, they're completely frozen. If the ice melts there'd be nothing left but puddles."

"That was some awesome ninjutsu!" Naruto yelled. "Amazing!"

"So, what do we do now?" Neji asked.

"We rest." Sadako answered. "We'll leave tomorrow as soon as…"

Sadako's face twisted in pain.

"Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked, running next to her.

"No, I'm just… ah!" Sadako held her right arm. "It's… just…"

"Is there something wrong?" Rock Lee asked.

"N-No… I'm fi… Aaahh!" Sadako fell on her knees. The pain on her arm was too strong.

"Onee-san, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked kneeling next to her. There was a worried look on his face. "It's your arm, isn't it?"

Sadako knew this pain really well. It happened every time she used a big amount of chakra. The curse on her arm was growing again, she could feel it. She didn't want everyone else to know about it, but it was the consequence for trying to save the team.

There was a low sound like cracking ice and Sadako stopped feeling the right side of her neck.

"What is that?" Shikamaru asked. The ice mark on her neck was visible through her sweater.

"Nothing you care about!" Sasuke shout.

"It's… a curse… I think." Sadako answered. The pain in her arm had eased a bit, but she was still dizzy from it. "I was hit by a strange jutsu about two months ago and, well…"

Sadako pulled up the sleeve of her blue sweater. They all gasped at the sight of her frozen arm.

"Y-your arm…" Hinata stuttered.

"But… I don't get it. How is it that you can still move it?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know." Sadako opened and closed her right hand. "Al I know is that I can, but I no longer feel anything on it."

"But, why is it growing now?" Ino asked.

"It grows every time I used chakra for a jutsu." Sadako stood up on shaking legs.

"If I remember well…" Neji spoke up. "You used ninjutsu the time you fought Sakura in the forest."

"I did." She told him. "But that was just a weak jutsu."

"Weak?" Tenten asked. "You froze the whole river with it!"

"Yes, but the river is just water." Sadako pulled down her sleeve. "Liquids are easy to freeze, but it takes a great amount of chakra to turn human flesh into ice."

"Let me see your arm." Sakura held out her hand. "Perhaps I can do something to heal it."

"No, that's ok." Sadako stepped away from Sakura. "I'm sure you are a great medic, but trust me, there is nothing that can heal me now."

"I do need healing." Ino told Sakura, pointing at the place where the kunai had hit her.

"Ah, yes!" Sakura ran to her. "Sorry, I completely forgot."

"Sadako-dono." Shino spoke up. "There is something I don't quite understand."

"What is it?"

"If it grows when you use a jutsu, isn't there a probability that…" Shino looked at the ice statue next to him.

"That I'll end up like them?" Sadako asked.

"What?" Sasuke asked astounded. "No, there is no chance… right, Sadako?"

"Not only is that a probability." Sadako told them. "That is what will happen if I keep on fighting."

Sasuke's face flashed red from anger.

"And why the hell didn't you tell me?" He shout at his twin. "I would have never let you come if you'd told me."

"And that is exactly why I didn't tell you." She replied on a calm voice.

"Is that why you didn't want to come?" Tenten asked.

Sadako shook her head no.

"I do not fear for my life as much as I fear the land of snow and I knew that leading you there would only put you in harm's way." She replied. "I am you guide in this mission and I will continue with my job, but I can no longer be the leader."

"Why not?" Hinata asked.

"Because if I end up like them." She point at one of the statues. "I would be completely useless. So if anyone wants to take my place as leader, please tell me."

Silence… no one spoke up.

"No one?" She asked. "Shikamaru-san, you're the only Chunnin in our team. I'm sure you'll do a good job."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.

"Neji-sama?"

Neji shook his head.

"Shino-san?"

"Not me." Shino replied.

"Face it Sadako." Naruto grinned. "You're the only one who can do it."

"Yeah, so you're the leader whether you like it or not." Kiba told her.

"We'll follow you both as our guide and leader-dattebayo."

"And we won't let anyone hurt you." Rock Lee gave her a thumbs up sign. "That's a promise."

Sadako looked questioningly at Sasuke.

"I… I agree with that." He smiled sadly. "I'm sure you can do it. And… we won't let you end up like them."

"O-ok. I'll… be your leader, then."

"Great!" Sakura smiled, but there was a glint of sarcasm in her words. "Now can we go to sleep? Otherwise I'll faint here and now."

"Yes, we should go to sleep now." Sadako agreed. "We need our strength to continue tomorrow."

"Ok, but let's find another place." Ino said, looking at the statues. "Because I'm NOT sleeping next to them."

"Yeah, that too." Sadako laughed.

Sasuke was glad to see his sister laugh once again.

They found a place too sleep not far from the original spot. Most of them were asleep two seconds before they even touched their pillows. As for the Uchiha twins, they were still awake even thou their tired limbs had barely enough strength to move.

Sasuke laid next to Sadako, his eyes scanning the dark forest.

"Sadako." He whispered. "Are you asleep?"

"No." She whispered back.

"That was a… great job you did today."

"Thank you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. "I could have done something… I could…"

"What?" She interrupted him. "There is nothing that you could have done."

"Yes, you're right. But I could have at least tried. You should have told me." His voice was sad.

"I didn't want you to get worried."

"Why do you keep so many things from me?"

"Because there are things that not even you shouldn't know, Sasuke."

He stared at her. What had she just called him? Sasuke?... Sasuke!! She'd never called him that before, even thou it was his name. She had always referred to him as Onii-san, why had she just called him Sasuke?

"Things I shouldn't know?" He asked. "I'm your brother! Why shouldn't I know?"

"Yes, you are my brother." She agreed. "Even more than that, you are a great part of me. And that is exactly why I need your trust. I know what I'm doing. Please, don't you trust me?"

"Yes, I do trust you. It's just that… I can't stand the fact that the thing in your arm keeps growing. I can't stand the fact that there is something that I cannot protect you from."

"Don't worry." She smiled. "It's about time I learn to protect myself, don't you think?"

"That might be true but still, as long as I'm here I will do all I can to protect you." He wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing's going to harmyou, not while I'm around."

Sadako held on to his shirt, hoping that his words could be true.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

"For what?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Everyone ready?" Sadako asked the next morning. "We leave as soon as you are."

"Need any help with your backpack onee-san?" Sasuke asked her.

"No, that's ok." She smiled at him. "It's really not that heavy."

Sadako looked at the others and realized that the team was full of gentlemen. Naruto was struggling with both his and Hinata's backpack while Hinata insisted on the fact that she could carry it herself.

"Of course not." Naruto grinned at her. "I don't want you to get tired."

Neji was effortlessly carrying his backpack and Tenten's too. Rock Lee had also offered to carry Sakura's. But Ino wasn't as lucky, no one offered to help her even thou her shoulder still hurt and she clearly needed more help than the rest of the girls.

"Why don't you help Ino-san?" Sadako asked her brother. "It seems like she needs your help."

"I don't want to help her." Sasuke replied simply.

"What?"

"You heard."

"But, why not?"

"Ah, no reason. I just don't want to help her."

"Onii-san!" Sadako frowned. "I can't believe you're so mean."

"Frown as much as you want, I'm not helping her."

"Please." Sadako used her sad eyes on him.

Sasuke hated it when she did that. Not because they looked bad, but because she could convince him of anything with them. It was simply impossible for him to say no to that face.

"Fine!" He groaned. "I'll help her, just stop looking at me like that."

Sasuke walked angrily to Ino, who was struggling with the straps of her backpack because they hurt her shoulder.

"Ino." He said, his left eyebrow twitching. "May I help you with your backpack?"

Ino looked at him and flashed bright red. Had he just offered to carry her stuff? This had to be a dream.

"Oh, no thank you." She smiled sweetly at him. "I think I can handle it myself."

"Ok." Sasuke smiled, relieved that he wouldn't have to help one of the girls he so much hated.

But as soon as he turned his back on her, he saw Sadako's face staring at him with disapproval.

"I insist." He said, gritting his teeth. "Let me help you with that."

"O-ok." Ino hand him her heavy backpack. "Thank you Sasuke-kun."

"Whatever." He turned around and walked back to Sadako. "Happy now?"

"Yup." She smiled.

"Why in the hell is he helping you and not me, Ino pig?" Sakura asked her angrily.

"I needed his help." Ino point at the bandage on her shoulder.

"But I healed it last night, it can't hurt that much."

For all response, Ino stuck out her tongue at her.

"If you are all ready…" Sadako called out. "Then let's go."

"Yeah!" Naruto shout. "To the land of Snow!"

Her ran like a maniac, leaving the others behind.

"Naruto-kun!" Sadako shout.

"What is it?" He stopped.

"I believe we are headed that way." She said, pointing to the opposite direction.

"Baka." Kiba chuckled.

"Yeah, I knew that." Naruto grinned goofily, running to them. "Ok, to the land of Waves and THEN to the land of Snow!"

"Next time, ask before you start running." Sasuke said coldly.

"You should shut up and start moving if you want to get there!" Naruto sneered at him.

The team started to walk down the path that would lead them to the land of waves. What awaited for them was still unsure, but whatever it was, they would face it together.

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"_Nothing's going to harm you, not while I'm around" Is part of one of the songs from the movie "Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street." (We strongly recommend that movie)._

_**Disclaimer: **__We do not own Naruto nor Sweeny Todd. _

_Good news! No more author notes today XD._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	14. 14 Cruelty

Sorry for the delay

_Sorry for the delay. There's just so much work to do, we haven'__s slept in weeks, let alone write fanfic. But we could finally manage to finish this chapter. Sorry if many things are left unexplained, we just want to finish this story as fast as we can. Just four more chapters and it'll be done, you won't have to read this crap anymore (but thanks for doing so, really). Without anything meaningful to say, let's start with today's chapter (sorry again if it's a little odd, Ten wrote it)._

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Cruelty**

As the team of Gennin from Konoha neared the land of waves their excitement grew, knowing that their journey into the land of snow would soon begin.

"We're almost there." Naruto smiled weakly. Carrying both his and Hinata's backpack had taken out most of his strength.

"Yeah." Sadako said calmly, yet her heart shrank in fear. "We're almost there."

She was afraid of the danger that awaited them. Afraid of what they could find.

As they walked closer, the rivers and ponds surrounding the land of waves became visible.

It had been two days since they'd left Konoha and now, in the morning of the third day, the rising sun reflected its brilliance against the clear water. It's surface sparkled as if a thousand diamonds were floating in it.

"It's beautiful." Tenten sighed and the rest agreed with her.

But they had all been deceived, for not everything was as beautiful as it seemed. There was something else floating on the water's surface and it was not as dazzling as the sun's reflection.

"What is that?" Shino asked, looking into the distance.

"What?" Sadako looked at him.

"Those things." He point at the dark silhouettes floating on the water.

"Who knows?" Sasuke shrugged, not really caring about it. "Probably just fishing boats."

"Far too small for boats, I believe." Shino frowned.

Kiba sniffed the air and frowned as well.

"Wh-what is it you smell?" Hinata asked him.

"There's something foul in the air." He whispered.

"Just keep on walking." Sadako told them. "Please."

"I'll check on it." Neji offered. "Byakugan!"

Chakra piled up on his eyes, making it look as if the veins of his forehead were swollen. Neji used his eye technique to see farther away than any of them could. What he found was sickening, but he refused to flinch at the sight of it.

"Neji-niisan… what is it?" Hinata asked.

"Corpses." Sadako answered before Neji could speak. "There are death persons in the water."

Everyone, even Sasuke, stopped walking and stared at her.

"You knew?" Shikamaru asked.

"It's only logical to find them since we are nearing a battle ground." She said coldly.

It was true. They knew the village was on war but, why then did it surprised them so much?

The team kept silent as they walked near a river's edge. The closer they got, they worst it became. Corpses of both ninja and civilians floated slowly next to them, their lifeless eyes staring at them as they walked by.

Sadako looked at a death sound ninja floating next to her.

"Perfect." She muttered.

Focusing chakra on her feet, she walked over the water's surface and pulled one of the death ninja out of the river.

"Don't just stand there, help me get them out!" She called the others.

"What for?" Sasuke asked.

"Just do it!" She commanded.

Sasuke, Neji, Shino, Kiba and Tenten walked on the river to help her. The rest were either disgusted or creped out.

When they had piled up a significant amount of death ninja, Sadako told them to stop.

She walked close to one of the corpses and kneeled down next to it.

"I-I don't get it." Ino stuttered, stepping away from the death ninja whose lifeless eyes seemed to be staring at her. "What do you need them for?"

"Oh, we don't need them." Sadako told her, pulling off a dead man's shoes. "It's their shoes we need."

"What?" Chouji gasped.

"None of you are wearing shoes like these, am I right?" She point at one of the closed toed shoes that were identical to the ones she was wearing. "You'll need special shoes to go into the land of snow."

"Forget it!" Sakura shout. The word 'indignation' was written on her forehead. "I'm not wearing any death man's shoes!"

"Have you any idea what happens to your feet when you walk in snow?" Sadako asked her.

"I don't think I care." Sakura crossed her arms over her chest.

Sadako kneeled down and picked up a small branch.

"When your feet are exposed to such a cold temperature, you toes might freeze, but that's not all. When they freeze, you can no longer move them, since they just become blocks of ice."

"Duh, I'm a medic ninja, I know that!"

"Then, I suppose you know what happens after that?"

"Yeah." Sakura smiled ironically. "You just warm them up."

"Hum, it sounds really easy, doesn't it?" Sadako sighed. "But you've never been there, you don't know what it's like."

"You've never been there, you don't know what it's like." Sakura mocked her with a stupid voice. "So I suppose you're going to tell me now."

Ignoring Sakura's sarcasm, the Uchiha girl held out the branch in front of her.

"Look, frozen flesh is as solid as this branch. If your toes freeze…" Sadako bent the small branch, it snapped in two with a cracking sound. "This is what will happen… of course, flesh takes less force applied to break."

When Sadako had finished her explanation, Sakura's eyes were wide with fear.

"Y-Y-You think they have shoes my size?" Naruto asked shivering.

"Everyone, take a pair of shoes!" Sadako commanded.

"I still think you're cruel." Sakura told her.

"I've told you before, you don't know what cruelty is."

**Inner Sakura: Damn, this baka loves to repeat herself.**

"Oh, and… Sakura-san." She hand Sakura a pair of shoes. "These are for you."

**Inner Sakura: "Aaagh! I hate this bitch, shannaro!"**

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After walking for about two more hours and avoiding the battle field and blood splattered ground, the Gennin of Konoha finally reached their destination, a small cave hidden in the forest.

"Spacious." Shikamaru muttered sarcastically.

Truth is, the cave was scarcely big enough for all of them and their huge luggage.

"It's so big." Tenten said, referring to the transferring scroll, which spread through the entire floor of the cave.

"Ok team, put on your winter clothes." Sadako called out to them. "And make sure to wear many socks and gloves."

It took them less than a minute to put on their heavy thick jackets, closed toed shoes, gloves, leg warmers, scarves and about anything else they'd packed.

"Listen up team, pull your hoods up, cover your neck and mouth with a scarf, protect your hands with gloves…"

"I'm ready!" Naruto shout.

He was wearing a huge flashy orange jacket with black fur on the inside, a scarf with ramen noodles printed on it, thick black long pants and about six pairs of gloves. The hood of his orange jacket was pulled over a black hat with the Konoha symbol on the front. It covered his spiky blond hair, but some strands were still visible. His eyes, precious sapphire gems, gleamed with excitement.

"I can tell you are." Sadako smiled.

With great care, she opened her silver locket and pulled out the missing piece of the scroll. She kneeled down and placed the seemingly insignificant part on the scroll that spread beneath their feet.

"You ready?" Sadako asked Sasuke who, as always, was standing at her left.

"Please, onee-san." Sasuke smiled cockily. "You know I am."

"Here we go." She began to form hand signs.

They felt a strong tug, as if someone or something were pulling at their feet. Then it all became darkness.

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It's funny how it works. One minute your standing inside a cramped cave roasting inside thick winter clothes and the next thing you know is that it's all gone. Or at least, that's what Sakura thought.

The first thought that formed inside her head as they were whisked away into the land of snow was 'Cold'.

As soon as she laid a foot in that place, she could feel the chilly air surrounding it all. Her body stiffened, her skin crawled, her hands and feet went numb and it felt like her bones would break if she dared to move.

It took about 3 seconds for her skin to turn pale and her lips purple.

"C-Cold!" She cried out and found that her tongue was hard to move.

Now she understood why Sadako had told them to cover their mouths with scarves.

Sakura looked around, everyone else looked as shocked as she was. Impulsively, they all lift their arms to their chests and Akamaru whined softly inside Kiba's jacket.

She looked up to see Sadako. Sasuke's twin didn't seem to mind the cold weather at all.

"If you think this is cold, wait until we go outside." Sadako told them.

"Out… Si-side?" Ino asked.

It was until then that Sakura realized they were standing inside a ship. An old ship, it seemed, because there were missing parts of wood here and there.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lee asked bravely, even thou he was as cold as everyone else. "Let's go outside."

"Sure, just help me with this." She point at the scroll beneath their feet. "We need to carry it with us so no one else can use it."

They rolled the scroll up so it would be easier to carry. Now they just needed someone to take care of it.

"I'll do it." Tenten offered with an eager look in her brown eyes. "I'm Konoha's scroll expert."

"Are you sure?" Sadako asked.

"More than sure." Tenten smiled.

"Very well then." Sadako hand the scroll over to Tenten, who tied it on top of her backpack.

"Are we ready now?" Lee asked.

"Sure, but…" She looked at Shino. "Shino-san, are you alright?"

At first glance, it looked as if Shino's face had bumps on it, but it was actually something else. The kikaichu inside it were crawling violently under his skin, which moved as if it had life of itself.

"Perfect." He said, ignoring the shrieking sounds the bugs made. "Just getting used to it."

"Oh, well… let's go, then." Sadako told the rest, not half convinced whit Shino's answer.

Sadako was the first one to step out of the ship, the rest followed her.

If the inside of the ship was cold, going outside it was even worse. The chill air blew furiously, hitting them with merciless gusts. It made Sakura think that, if hell had frozen, it wouldn't be as cold as this place.

She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself, trying to endure the pain she felt on her limbs.

"How… c-cold is it… exactly?" Naruto asked, his teeth chattering.

"32º bellow." Sadako answered.

"What?" All of them cried at once.

"Yeah, I know it seems cold." Sadako agreed. "But trust me, you get used to it on time."

"I can't get used to it." Tenten muttered to Neji. "No human being could."

"Then I guess Sadako is not human." Neji said, rubbing his hands together.

Sakura looked around, a heavy blanket of white snow spread through the seemingly endless distance, as far as her eyes could see. It was actually a pretty sight, and it would have been better if her eyelashes weren't about to break.

She remembered Sadako's words. '_You've never been there, you don't know what it's like_.' Now she understood what this often repeated words meant.

"This way." Sadako lead them.

They stopped in front of a burned down village. Smoked pieces of wood were sticking out of the white snow like reaching arms begging for help.

"What's this?" Ino asked.

"The snow village." Sadako answered. "Or what's left of it. It seems it's empty now, perhaps…"

Sadako looked down and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, noticing his sister's frown.

"There." She point to a foot print in the snow that belonged to none of them. "It's recent."

"You mean there are survivors?" Naruto asked.

"No, I think the enemy is still here." She said seriously. "Hinata-sama, could you please check the surrounding area?"

"Hai." Hinata nodded. "Byakugan!"

Hinata used her eyes to check in all directions, but all she found was snow.

"There's nothing around here, perhaps…" Hinata's eyes widened and she stood stiff.

She lot out an ear piercing shriek and cowered next to Naruto.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Naruto asked her.

"T-t-t-tree!" She stuttered out.

"What tree?" Sadako asked. "There are no trees in the land of snow."

"T-There is a tree." Hinata looked at Naruto. "I s-s-swear!"

Naruto could see her eyes watering and her lips quiver. Hinata was about to cry.

"Hinata!" Sadako shout, startling the frightened girl.

Neji, Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto stared at her.

"Sorry." She apologized. "But you just had to snap out of it. You can't cry, not in here. Whatever you do, don't cry."

"Which direction, Hinata?" Sasuke asked her.

"Th-there." Hinata point.

"Follow me." Sadako ordered as she ran in that direction.

Sakura and the rest followed her, but soon realized they shouldn't have.

The first thing she saw was Sadako's horrified face as the Uchiha girl stopped abruptly. Her eyes were wide and her lips trembled while she tried not to look away.

"S-Sonna…" She muttered. _(A/N: Sonna.- "This/That can't be.")_

"What is…" Sakura looked up.

What a mistake.

There, in front of them, rose a gigantic ice tree with huge branches. But it was not the tree itself that had scared Hinata.

There were people on it. Death people hung by the neck from the tree branches, numerous kunai were stuck on each of them. They remained there as a grotesque sign of victory that the enemy had left behind. Their silent, purple lips, a clear sign to those who dared defy them.

The chill wind blew once again and the frozen corpses rocked and clashed against one another like sinister wind chimes.

"Oh my…" Ino gasped.

"Has God no mercy?" Sakura wondered out loud.

"It was not God who did this." Sadako answered, taking a step forward.

Sadako looked at the tree again, but this time, instead of the look of horror, it was a look of anger that reflected on her eyes.

"Sonna!" She yelled. "What in the hell is this?!"

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Sadako walked towards the tree, her eyes fixed on one of the figures. It was the corpse of a young white-haired woman with about five kunai stuck on her chest. A blood written sign hung from her neck.

"_**You have been warned**_." It read.

Sakura looked at Sadako. There was a mixture of anger and despair on her face. She'd never seen her that way.

"Who… who is she?" Sakura asked.

"It's her, isn't it?" Sasuke asked. Despair was clear in his voice.

"It's…" Sadako took another step forward.

All of a sudden, a kunai went flying to her from the tree. Sadako reacted on time and caught the kunai right before her nose.

"What the…"

A figure jumped out of the tree and ran away from them. It was a sound ninja who had been hiding inside its branches.

"He's getting away!" Naruto shout, running behind him. It was hard since his feet kept sinking in snow.

"No, he won't!" Sadako yelled.

She ran behind him with surprising speed, her eyes turning from charcoal black to blood red. In less than two seconds she had reached Naruto and before they knew it, she'd reached the sound ninja.

Sadako threw a kunai to the man's knee, he went sprawling face down to the ground. With great force, she pulled at his brown hair and turned him face up so he could see into her eyes. Eyes that burned like embers.

She loomed over him like a beast watching its prey. The man tried to get up but she angrily kicked his face. Blood sprayed in all directions as his nose broke.

"Bastard!" She shout. Her face reflecting all the rage she felt.

The man laid there, holding his throbbing nose while more blood gushed from it.

"Who did this?!" Sadako asked him, pointing towards the tree. "Who did this to my people?!"

"Your people?" The man chuckled through his blood. "Those things are no longer people!"

With an angry growl, she grabbed his hair again and tugged him to where the tree was, lifting his head so that he could see it clearly.

"Tell me, do you know who she is?!" She asked, pointing at the white haired woman.

No response.

"God damn it!" She shook his head. "Do you know who she is?!"

Sasuke looked at her in fear. This couldn't be his sister… the girl he knew would never act like this. Or at least, that's what he'd always thought.

The rest of the team stared at her wide eyed. They didn't know whether it was better to help her or just stay out of it. Just stay away of her way.

"A… Aoi Kori." He finally answered.

"Damn right!" She shout, tossing him to the ground and sitting on his chest so he couldn't get up. "She's Aoi Kori!"

"The best kunoichi in the land of snow." The man laughed. "Or at least, she used to be."

"Shut up!" She clashed her right fist against his face. His skin turned from red to purple almost immediately.

"O… Onee-san!" Sasuke called out to her, trying for her to calm down. "Please, stop!"

Sadako didn't listen. She couldn't hear anything, she couldn't feel anything.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked in a low voice, leaning closer to the man's face.

"No." He said coldly.

"I'm Uchiha Sadako." She said through gritted teeth. "Kori's apprentice."

"Well, that's a surprise. I didn't know the slut trained war bitches." He said.

"Shut up!" She clashed her right fist on his face again and again. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Sadako, stop!" Sasuke ran to her.

"Don't!" She yelled at him. "Don't come any closer."

Sasuke wanted to hug her. He wanted to see his sister, not this beast that was standing there. But there was something in her voice that told him staying away was the best choice.

"Who did this to them?" She asked him once again.

"What makes you think I would tell you?" He asked smiling, even thou his face was black and purple now.

"So you're not telling me?" She asked standing up. "Then I guess I have no other choice."

Sadako stood up and grabbed his left arm. She twisted it and then let her foot fall on it. There was a sickening snapping sound as his arm broke and the man cried in pain.

"Who did this?!" She leaned closer to his face again.

The man spit his own blood at her face and smiled stubbornly. This only made her even angrier.

"Fuck it!" She grabbed his right arm and made it snap as well. "Who did this, you bastard?!"

"I'll never tell you, so you might as well kill me already."

Sadako looked down at him in disgust.

"I won't kill you." She said.

She pressed her foot against his ribs. They broke easily. The man cried in pain once again.

"Was it really necessary to make fun of them that way?" Sadako asked, looking towards the tree. "Was killing them not enough?"

The man didn't answer, only an ironical smile formed on his lips.

Sadako turned around and walked back to the others.

"Where are you going?!" The man asked. "You can't just leave me here!"

"Oh, yes I can." She said, her eyes cold again. "I think you forget, but you're in our territory now. You'll suffer the worse death. I'll let you freeze to death."

Sasuke ran to her, his eyes truly horrified. He couldn't believe his sister was acting like this. When had she become the monster that was standing before him now?

The only thing he knew for sure was that his twin was suffering, and that she needed his help.

"Sadako…" He said, stopping before he could reach her. "Are you ok?"

He stretched his arm to hold her hand, but the man spoke again.

"You know what's funny?" He asked, making Sadako stop in mid step. "It wasn't that hard to kill that bitch, I even cut out her leg."

Sadako looked down, clenching her fists.

"Sadako, please don't." Sasuke begged.

Too late…

With and angry shout that was more like a roar, she turned away from Sasuke and ran back to the man.

Pulling a kunai out of her pouch, she kneeled down and rose the kunai in the air.

"You asked for it!" She shout.

Bringing the kunai down, she dug in the man's throat. Warm blood splattered against her face.

Sadako stood up and walked away from him again.

"Waste of time." She said coldly, whipping blood away from her eyes.

They all stared at her wide eyed, not really believing what they'd just seen. They tried to say something, but found no words. What could they say to a girl who had mercilessly slaughtered a man without a second thought? Not even Sasuke had words this time.

Sakura stared at Sadako as she walked back to the tree and began pulling the death people down.

This time, she knew it.

This time, she'd seen real cruelty.

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_Vianey: Eh… well… sorry if it was violent and grotesque, but I warned you before that it was going to be lots of blood in this story._

_Glacia: And that wasn't so bad as what will happen if we let Ten write more chapters._

_Ten: Hey, c'mon. It wasn't that bad, I tried to hold myself back._

_Vianey: Anyways, today I'll like to thank our readers who send their reviews, those who add us to their favorite authors list and those who add our story to their favorites._

_Glacia: Thanks a lot __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, Hana-Tenshi, Freezing Embers Friend, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki and KazeKagamikko.**_

_Vianey/Ten: Thank you._

_Vianey: If your name is not in this list, it might be because we don't have your review, but we're still truthfully grateful._

_Ten: And, as always, our special thanks to __**sailorkyeblue **__and __**Hana-Tenshi.**__ No words need say, we're very grateful, really._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	15. 15 Aid From The Snow Tigers

_For God's sake! Yet another delay, and this one was for about two months. The reason for our delay? You already know it. Homework. Lots and lots of homework, a mid time job which is a stupid requirement for graduation (We have to be someone's personal slave so they can sign our stupid social service document and we can get the hell out of school next year). But I won't spend my time (or yours) explaining why this chapter took too long to write. I'll just say we need to start writing shorter chapters. And we also need to quit school and go live on a far away island where I won't have to spend my brain power with stuff like X=(3y+n-t2) or stuff like that. Good thing is the graduation is on august; I just need to stand this crap for about 10 months._

_Anyways… I really hope you like this chapter. We pushed our brains really hard and it turned up quite good… Oh, who the hell am I kidding?! This chapter sucks crap and if you don't believe it, just read it and you'll understand._

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Aid From The Snow Tigers**

"This is so grim." Lee said as the rest of the team helped Sadako pull down the corpses from the tree.

"What do we do with them, onee-san?" Sasuke asked his sister.

"Just lay them down over there." She said emptily.

She was no longer helping them to pull down the bodies, she just sat there with the white haired woman on her lap.

"Aren't we supposed to burry them?" Neji asked her.

"No." Sadako shook her head slowly. "It snows every night in here, the snow will do it… we don't have to…"

They could hear her voice getting weak, contrary to the rage and confidence she had shown just five minutes ago.

"Ok, then…"

The team of Konoha laid down the corpses on neat rows, then lowered their heads as a sign of respect for the ever silenced Snow Ninja. Many of them wore masks resembling the image of white tigers. They were perhaps the ANBU in this region.

Sasuke walked back to his sister, his heart shrinking at the sight of her face. He hadn't seen her this sad since she'd come back to Konoha. In fact, he'd never seen her this sad. Not even when mother had told her she'd rather die than recognize her as her daughter.

"What… do we do with her?" He asked Sadako, referring to the woman that laid on her lap.

"Dragon Pike Mountain." She said absently.

"What?"

Sadako point to a mountain on the distance. A tall mountain with numerous ice spikes sticking out of it.

"I'll burry her in Dragon Pike Mountain."

She stood up, carrying her sensei on her arms. Holding the death woman close to her chest, she marched towards the mountain.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Sasuke asked walking behind her.

"If you want to." Sadako shrugged. "But I'm climbing all the way up, it's a long way."

"I don't mind that." Tenten said, laying her hands on Sadako's shoulder. "I want to go with you."

"We don't mind it either." Naruto said kindly, holding the shivering Hinata next to him. "Besides, if we stay here, we'll freeze to death."

Sadako turned to look at them, she really did needed friends this time. And they were all acting so nice at her, it made her both happy and sad at the same time.

"Ok." She replied simply.

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They stood on the mountain's pike, now they really understood why it was called Dragon Pike Mountain.

The ice spikes sticking out of it were actually the dragon's body wrapped around the entire mountain. The dragon's head, a gigantic ice sculpture, rested open mouthed on the mountain's pike, a look of rage in it's frozen eyes, as if it was roaring.

Sasuke stared at the dragon's head. It's open mouth revealed rows of gigantic sharp teeth which were carved to perfection.

"Whoever carved this sculpture…" Tenten began.

"Was clearly a genius." Neji finished her sentence.

"It was not carved by anyone." Sadako said kneeling down. "It's actually a real dragon."

"Say what?!" Naruto asked wide eyed.

"That's impossible." Sakura said.

"Don't believe me, that's what the legend tells." She fixed Kori's white and blue hair, which was sticking wildly from her head and tied it on a neat bun behind her neck. "They say it will rise into battle and fight for whomever it is that has enough courage to awaken it. As a kunoichi of this region, I've been taught the rituals to bring it back to life. However, it has been centuries since it last woke. No one dares to disturb him now."

"Why is that so?" Sasuke asked.

"Because, according to the legend, it takes a great sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?"

"Well…" Sadako made a dramatic pause while the others eagerly awaited her answer. She thought hard for a second, then looked stupidly at them. "I don't really know."

"Tch." Shikamaru frowned annoyed.

The rest of them stared at her with a WTF expression.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Shino asked.

"Some say it takes your soul, but no one has ever tried it." She laid the death woman o the ground and stood up. "All I know is that it takes massive amounts of chakra."

Sadako walked closer to the dragon's head and performed a series of hand signs. Hand signs that Sasuke knew too well.

"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu." She aimed at the frozen ground just before her feet. The snow melt away instantly.

"Wait! That's my technique." Sasuke's eyes went wide. Even when they'd practiced, he had never taught her fire jutsu. "B-but… how did…"

"Sharingan." She replied simply.

"Oh…" Sadako had learned fire jutsu that easily, and he hadn't completely understood fire jutsu yet. He hadn't even bothered on using Sharingan every time his sister performed an ice technique.

Sadako walked back to the death woman and checked on her left leg, which had been cut off the last time she'd seen her.

"Those bastards." She muttered.

Kori's leg had been sewed back in place, random and uneven stitches held the pieces together.

"Oh, my…" Ino gasped. The sight was gruesome, even after what they'd just seen.

"Here." Sakura walked close to her. "Perhaps I can help."

She lift her hands over the severed leg and green chakra flowed out from her hands, bringing the pieces back together as if they'd never been separated.

"I… know it's not much." Sakura looked away. "I just… wanted to help."

"Thank you…" Sadako bit her lip. "Actually…"

She pulled down the black turtle neck to reveal Kori's neck. Her throat had been cut open.

"You think… you think you fix this too… if is not asking too much?"

"Sure, I'll fix it." Sakura told her, closing that wound as well. "Call me crazy, but I think they went too far."

"A-Actually…" Sadako swallowed hard. "It was me who did this."

"What?" Hinata gasped.

"But… how could you!?" Kiba shout.

"She was suffering, and I couldn't leave her there." Sadako squeezed her eyes shut. "She begged me to kill her… what could I've done?! I… what could I've done? She asked me not to call the medic ninja, I… I'm sorry…"

Sadako clenched her fists as the rest imagined how hard it must have been for her. Naruto couldn't imagine what he would do without Kakashi-sensei, Kiba couldn't bear the thought of hurting Kurenai-sensei and the single idea made Rock Lee shiver, Gai-sensei meant a lot to him.

Yes, it must have been very hard.

So no one said anything. They just kept silent and watched as Sadako swallowed back her tears and stood up with a surprisingly cold and expressionless look on her eyes, which represented over-human will power… or stubbornness.

She still refused to cry a single tear.

Sasuke tried to say something, but there were no words that could make his sister feel better now, and he knew it.

Kneeling down, Sadako picked Kori up and carried her to the open grave. She gently lowered the death woman until she laid at full length inside the pit.

She reached to the backpack she was carrying and pulled out something from one of the pockets, two masks resembling white tigers. With outmost care, she placed one over Kori's frozen, death face.

"We had no time to put them on that day." She said sadly, running her fingers over Kori's mask.

"Are those… ANBU masks?" Neji asked, remembering the corpses on the tree wore similar masks.

"Yeah." She answered. "Different from the ones in Konoha, I believe."

"Far different." Neji agreed.

The ANBU in Konoha wore masks resembling birds, cats or bears and always had innocent looking eyes painted on them. These masks were different, matching the face of white tigers to perfection. Their fierce eyes reflecting the nature of a warrior.

"We were "White Tigers". The last ANBU team in the land of snow." She stood up, storing her own mask in the pocket of her blue jacket. "Guess I'm the last one now."

"ANBU!?" Sasuke shout. "What do you mean ANBU? I thought you were a Gennin!"

Without even bothering to answer, Sadako held two fingers before her face to focus chakra. Snow slithered across the floor like live snakes and piled up inside Kori's grave to seal it.

Sealed now… Sealed forever.

Despite Sadako's effort to remain expressionless, her face withered and turned into a mixture of sadness, nostalgia and what seemed like disappointment. Her cold eyes turned glassy and red at the rims.

It hurt not only Sasuke to see her like that, but all her teammates as well. It hurt to see such a frail girl in exchange from the powerful kunoichi they knew.

Sadako lowered her head and placed her hands together.

"What are you doing, onee-san?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm praying." She replied.

"That's a good t-thing to do." Hinata smiled. "God will take care of her soul."

"That's not what I'm praying for." She answered.

Hinata looked at her confused.

"T-then, what…"

"I pray God to have mercy on our enemy." She looked up, anger burning inside her eyes. "Because I will have none."

An awkward silence fell after Sadako's words. No one knew what to say or do. All they knew was that she meant it.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew trough the land of snow. It was faster and somewhat colder than the ones they'd felt until now. Snow flakes and tiny ice shards were mixed with it.

"Oh, no." Sadako looked t them.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Blizzard!" Sadako cried out. "There's a blizzard coming, we've got to find shelter!"

"Let's get out of here!" Ino shivered.

Sadako walked back to the dragon's head and leaned close to it.

"Aladiuc neib." She whispered to it. "Ok, let's go." _(*Ancient dragon tongue, check author notes to know its meaning.)_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As they ran down the mountain, the wind began to blow harder and harder every time. Snow flakes clang to their clothes and tiny ice shards clashed on their faces, making tiny but painful scratches on their skin.

"Where are we supposed to find shelter?!" Sasuke asked, shouting to be heard over the howling wind. "There's only snow as far as I can see."

It was true.

There were no caves where they could hide in, not even hollow trees. And the village, which could have been their only hope, was entirely burned down. The wind blew through the smoked wood, carrying ashes with it.

Ashes where the only thing that remained now.

"Don't worry!" Sadako shout back once they'd reached the bottom of the mountain. "Help's on it's way!"

"Help?!" Kiba cried out. "Hello, woman!? We're in the middle of a desolated frozen island which's snow blanked stretches on forever and the only company we have in this whole place are the enemy and a bunch of death ninja! Where in the world are we supposed to find help?!"

Kiba finished his speech and gasped angrily for breath.

"You done?" Sadako asked coldly.

"Yeah, I'm done." He answered, trying to calm down.

"But he's got a point, onee-san." Sasuke spoke up. "What kind of help are you referring to?"

"I'll ask aid from the Snow Tigers." She smiled.

"Snow Tigers?" Naruto asked confused. "Is that like… another ANBU squad?"

"Hm… not exactly." She lift her left thumb to her lips and bit down until it bled, then she formed a series of hand sings and slapped her hand firmly on the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke rose from the ground and an enormous silhouette appeared behind it.

"Sadako?" Asked a raspy voice. "Is that you?"

They all watched in horror as a giant white tiger walked out of the smoke cloud. It lowered it's huge head and stared at Sasuke, each of it's eyes bigger the boy's head.

"Sadako?" It asked again. "Is that you?"

"N-N-No…" was all that Sasuke could answer.

He was too shocked to talk, too cold to move, too scared to think.

"No, of course not." The tiger looked coldly at him. "You look like her, but that can't…"

"No, he does not!" Sakura shout before she could realize what she was doing. "He doesn't look like her at all!"

"What?" it turned it's head and stared at her.

"Ah… I just…" Suddenly realizing her mistake, she tried to take her words back. "I…"

"You dare to speak to me like that?" it pulled back it's lips to show it's rows of sharp teeth, each as big as Sakura herself. A growling sound echoed deeply down it's throat. "Who are you? All of you?!"

No one answered, the tiger's image was truly imposing.

"W-w-we…" Sakura stuttered.

"Speak child!" It set it's giant paw in front of her as a sign that it was getting inpatient. "Who are you?"

"Look here, that's enough!" Sadako shout. "They're not foes, I swear."

The giant tiger turned it's head to look at her.

"Sadako!" It's green eyes shone happily. "Sadako-sama, you're back!"

Sadako smiled at it and the tiger actually sat on it's hind legs and bowed it's head at her. She walked to it and stretched out her left hand to pat it's pink nose.

"Yeah." She said sadly. "I'm back, Yukiko."

"Who are them?" It turned it's gaze towards the Shinobi of Konoha.

"Friends." Sadako told it. "We've come to stop the enemy from destroying the remains of this land and going into the land of fire."

"About time someone did it." It stood up imposingly. "They've come here in swarms destroying our homes and everything else in their way. I would stop them myself but I'm afraid there are too many. It would be impossible to do it on my own."

Naruto stared at Yukiko with longing eyes.

"You're right, there are far too many and that's why we need your help." Sadako agreed.

Naruto bit his lower lip trying not to yell.

"I'll help you with everything I can." The white tiger answered.

Another gust of wind blew through the frozen land, making everyone shiver.

"Right now, what we need is a shelter." Sasuke spoke up.

"Yes, there is a blizzard coming." Sadako looked at the darkening sky. "We need to hurry and…"

Suddenly, Naruto couldn't control himself any longer and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"OMG, it's so cool!" he point at Yukiko. "A giant tiger, it's so awesome! Can I touch it?"

Sadako and the rest stared blankly at him.

"Uhh…" Sadako had a WTF expression on her face.

"Sure." Yukiko answered, walking closer to the boy and lowering it's head. "Go ahead."

Naruto grinned happily and ran both his hands on Yukiko's fur. It felt like petting a giant cat more than the monster he'd thought it was.

Hinata took a step forward.

"C-can I…" She stuttered.

The tiger merely nodded.

She placed her shivering hands on it's head, it's fur felt warm despite the snow that covered it.

"Alright, that's enough." Yukiko backed away.

"Awww." Naruto whined disappointed.

"What?" Yukiko frowned. "I'm a tiger warrior, not a pet."

"I just wanted to… OWWW!" Naruto rubbed his head. "Who just hit me?"

"No one, you idiot." Sasuke frowned.

"It's hailing!" Sadako's eyes went wide. "Hurry up! Yukiko, please take us to a safe place!"

"Right away master." It answered.

"Everyone, get on Yukiko's back!" Sadako shout. "Now!"

They all climbed on the tiger's back, except Sadako who sat atop the tiger's head.

"Sit close to one another!" She commanded. "That way you won't get hurt by the ice shards."

"Let's go." Yukiko growled, springing from the ground.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Yukiko ran at full speed through the land of snow. It was surprising how the shinobi's weight on it's back didn't seem to bother it at all.

It didn't seem to notice the howling wind crashing against it's face, nor the snow flakes and ice shard mixed with it. It seemed all it wanted was find a shelter as soon as possible.

As for the Shinobi of Konoha, they weren't as lucky.

Even sitting close to each other as Sadako had instructed, they were still harmed by the ice shards and cold wind.

Luckily for them, it had stopped hailing.

Sasuke looked up at his sister sitting on top of Yukiko's head. She wore goggles to protect her eyes and leaned forward against the wind, trying to help Yukiko find a good place where they could stay at.

He stared at her face. Her skin was white and her lips dark purple due to the intense cold. Even so, she was not covering her mouth with a scarf and the hood of her jacket was pulled down. Her black hair flapped wildly on the wind as they moved at Yukiko's incredible speed, almost as if the cold strands had life of themselves.

It was easy to know Sadako had grown in this place, for the fact that her lips where almost black by now, didn't seem to be such a problem for her. But for Sasuke and the rest, as used as they were to Konoha's warm weather, this place was a frozen hell.

Suddenly, Yukiko stopped on front of a small snow mountain.

It's stop was so abrupt, that Akamaru almost went flying out of Kiba's jacket.

"Hey, watch it!" Kiba complained.

"Here!" Sadako shout and they all jumped off Yukiko's back.

Using it's gigantic paws, the tiger retrieved snow from one of the walls, revealing the gapping mouth of a cave.

Without even waiting for Sadako's order, they all ran inside.

Only Sasuke and Sadako stood outside with Yukiko.

"Won't you come in?" Sadako asked it.

"No." The tiger shook it's head. "I'll stay here to guard the entrance."

"But…" Sadako protested.

"I'll be fine, you know it takes more than just a blizzard to harm me. Besides, with all this fur I won't even fell it."

"But, Yukiko…"

"No buts, I'll stay here." It looked at Sasuke. "Take her inside, brother."

"Uh, Sasuke…" he told it, realizing the tiger didn't know his name.

"Ok, Sasuke. Take her inside."

"C'mon onee-san." He tugged at her arm. "Let's go."

"Sadako!" Sakura shout once she saw her. "It's damn cold in here, can't you do something about it?"

"**Perhaps **we could lit a fire place." Shikamaru suggested.

"Great idea genius!" Sakura said sarcastically. "But **perhaps** you could give us some wood to lit it."

"I think…" Sadako spoke up, but she was interrupted by Ino.

"**Perhaps** we could use that ugly jacket you're wearing to lit the fire place." Ino told her. Sakura wore a fluffy jacket with different shades of pink and flashy pink velvet. It wasn't really that ugly, but… "I mean, if I was you, I would rather freeze than wear that thing."

"Well…" Sadako tried to speak again.

"**Perhaps **we could use **your** jacket as a blanket." Sakura sneered. "Since you're that fat, it will be big enough to keep us all warm."

"**Perhap**s you should shut the hell up and let Sadako tell us what to do!" Kiba frowned, then coughed horribly. He had caught a rather nasty cold out there.

"Oh, yea." Ino slapped her forehead. "Sorry Sadako."

"Thank you Kiba-san." Sadako bowed her head politely. "As Shikamaru-san suggested, we will lit a fire place."

"Really?" Sakura asked. "But how?"

Sadako pulled out a fistful of red marbles from her pockets.

"What's that?" Kiba asked, sniffing the air. His nose was running which made it difficult. "It smells funny."

"Watch." She set them on a row across the cave and stepped away. "As Sakura was saying, we have no wood in this place, but this…"

She made a hand sing and focused chakra. One by one, the red marbles burst up producing warm embers, each as big as Akamaru.

"Is even better." She smiled.

"Wooooow!" Naruto smiled, mesmerized by the dancing embers. "So cool."

"How long will they last?" Neji asked.

"Don't worry, they're made for this kind of situations. The fire will keep burning for about 10 more hours."

"Well, while it's burning…" Chouji spoke up. "Can't we cook something? I'm starving!"

"Sure." Sadako nodded. "Also. It seems the blizzard won't stop now, so we'll spend the nigh here."

"Ok." Was the answer she received.

About an hour later, the fatigue from the travel left all Shinobi sprawled all over the floor. They felt so tired by now, that they could have slept two weeks straight.

Sasuke crawled next to Sadako, who seemed to be asleep under the many blankets she was covered with.

"Onee-san?" He asked. "Are you asleep?"

"No." He heard her muffled voice under the blankets. "I'm not."

He pulled down the blankets covering her head.

"Good, I thought you would have choked under all those things." He smiled.

"I'm ok." She said. But even though she was standing right next to him, her voice sounded far away.

"Are you really ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Just feeling a little bit… sick."

"Well, I'm not sick, but I'm extremely cold." Sasuke shivered. "Can I sleep next to you?"

Sadako wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She rested her forehead against his.

"I'm sorry I got you into all this trouble Sasuke." She grieved. "It's my fault Konoha is in danger. I should be the one solving this, not you or them. I'm so sorry."

"Don't say that." Sasuke stared at the sleeping form of their companions. "It's also our fault for following you. We could have refused, you know?"

"You're right." Sadako smiled. "It's your entire fault."

"Just do me a favor." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. _(This in NOT Uchihasest, you perverted people!!!)_

"What is it?" She asked confused.

"Don't call me Sasuke." He pleaded, sounding rather childish. "I've always been Onii-san, and I don't want that to change now."

"Ok." She kissed his forehead. "Sorry, Onii-san."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_(*Aladiuc neib).- Take good care of her._

_Vianey: Sounds mysterious but it's actually something very simple. We couldn't come up with some strange language for the ancient dragon tongue, so this phrases are just backwards Spanish. Look closely and you'll know I tell the truth._

_Glacia: Once again, sorry for the delay. But please, it is not our choice for it to be this way. If it depended on us, we would upload a new chapter every 3 days instead of every lunar eclipse. _

_Ten: Yup, it seems the last time we wrote a chapter was before the holocaust._

_Vianey: Anyways. I'll like to thank all those people who review our story (let's hope they read this one as well)._

_Glacia: I think they might have forgotten about our existence by now._

_Ten: Also, for all those people who thought we had disappeared from Earth's surface… great news, we're alive!!_

_Vianey: Special message for __**TsukiNoHime, sailorskyeblue, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, Hana-Tenshi, Freezing Embers Friend, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki and KazeKagamikko**__._

_THANK YOU!!!!_

_Ten: Please keep reading._

_Glacia: Please keep reviewing._

_Vianey: We Beg of you._

_Glacia: And special thanks to __**sailorkyeblue,**__**Hana-Tenshi and Kazekagamikko.**_

_Ten: Please don't forget about us._

_Vianey: See you next Big Bang._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	16. 16 Will I Ever See Her Again?

_We're back with a new chapter. A short chapter. Ridiculously short chapter, but we mention some things we didn't want to leave unsaid. __Besides, since we always listen to our readers and someone asked us to add a few more chapters… sorry, but this is all we could think of. Hope you like it._

_**Hinata11235**__, this one goes for you!_

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Will I Ever See Her Again?**

"I don't care what the situation is or how many enemies the land of fire has!" Gaara stared angrily at Tsunade. "I'm asking, where is Uchiha Sadako?"

"As I was saying." Tsunade insisted. "There are enemies coming from the land of snow and they're attacking the land of waves. If this continues, they will also come to the land of fire and…"

"That's not what I asked!" Gaara said stubbornly.

"Shut up and let me finish!" Tsunade shout angrily, her expression was truly frightening. Gaara had no choice but to obey. "We sent all Gennin we had along with Shikamaru, a Chunin, into the land of snow to stop the enemy. Uchiha Sadako is their leader and guide on that mission. They left a couple of days ago."

"What? The land of snow?" Gaara frowned. "But that's so far away. Why didn't she tell me anything?"

Even though Gaara was only talking to himself, he might have spoken a little too loud, for Tsunade answered his question.

"It was… kind of a rushed mission. They left as soon as I gave out the orders." She explained. "She barely had time to pack up the things she needed."

"I see…" Gaara turned around to leave.

"Oh, but she left this for you." Tsunade told him, pointing to an envelope on her desk. "Right before she left."

Gaara walked to the desk and picked up the envelope. He opened it and quickly read the note inside.

"Got it." He mumbled, putting the letter back inside the envelope. He stored it in one of his pockets. "Is Kuromaru here?"

"Who?" Tsunade asked.

"Kuromaru." Gaara repeated. "A little black cat."

"Oh, this little cutie?" Tsunade smiled, showing him the cat which had been sleeping on her lap. "She left this along with the letter arguing that there was no one to take care of it at home."

"Yes, she asks me to take care of it." He walked to Tsunade and took the cat from her. "That's all."

With that, he turned around and left the Hokage's office.

As he walked down the streets of Konoha, he noticed that many persons were staring at him. He knew he must look ridiculous walking with a kitten curled next to his chest, but that didn't mattered.

What truly mattered was Sadako's letter. There was something about it that made him uneasy, but he didn't know what or why.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Temari stood on the kitchen making dinner for her brothers, when she suddenly heard the front door opening and closing.

"Hey, so you've finally arrived." Kankuro spoke up. "Gaara? Yo, Gaara, what's wrong?"

Silence, no answer came.

"Gaara." Temari walked out of the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready, go wash your… hands…"

Gaara was not in the living room. All she found was Kankuro, who was randomly changing the TV's channel every two seconds.

"Kankuro?" She asked. "Where's Gaara?"

"Guess." Kankuro said bitterly.

"Oh, no." She said worriedly. "Not the roof."

"Yes, the roof." Kankuro nodded.

Temari quickly turned out the stove and ran back to the living room.

"Kankuro, dinner's ready." She told her brother, pulling off the white apron she was wearing. "You can start eating if you want to."

"Have dinner on my own, how great." He said sarcastically.

But Temari had no time for Kankuro's sarcasm.

Something was wrong with Gaara. She knew he went to the roof every time he needed to think about something that bothered him, but he hadn't done that for weeks.

Not since he'd met the dark haired girl with sad eyes.

Not since he'd fallen in love with Uchiha Sadako.

Gaara had been happier lately, smiling more and more every time. Why, then, was he acting like this now? Why again?

She ran up the stairs that lead to the roof, but as soon as she had her hand on the knob to open the last door, a strange thought stopped her.

What if something was really bothering Gaara? What if he was really mad? What if instead of helping, she only end up making him angrier? What if he attacked her again?

"No." She shook her head violently, making those thoughts disappear. "He wouldn't."

She turned the knob and walked outside to the roof.

Sure enough, Gaara was there. His face illuminated by the pale moonlight, he stared blankly ahead. That was a bad sign, for it indicated Gaara was thinking really hard about something.

"G-Gaara…" She whispered, trying not to startle him.

"Hm?" He turned to look at her, his face a wall of nothingness.

Temari walked closer and sat next to him, their feet dangling from the roof's edge.

"Is that…" She said, noticing the cat on Gaara's lap.

"Yeah, it's Sadako's cat." He placed his hand on top of its head. "She asked me to take care of it."

"Why?" Temari's eyes went wide. Gaara and Sadako had dated five or six times, and she knew Gaara had given her the cat as a gift on their first date. Why would she ask Gaara to take care of it? "You guys didn't break up, did you?"

"No." Gaara shook his head slowly. "She went out on a mission and she left a letter asking me to take care of Kuromaru."

"Well, if you didn't break up, then why are you so gloomy?"

"It's…" He took a deep breath. "It's her letter."

"What's with her letter?" She asked confused.

"Look." He hand her Sadako's letter. "Read it and you'll know."

"Wait, that's a letter from your girlfriend. I can't read that!"

"There's nothing there that you shouldn't know." He told her. "And Sadako is not my girlfriend… I think."

"Oh, c'mon Gaara. Even if you haven't asked her to be your girlfriend it doesn't mean…" She stopped talking because of Gaara's irritated expression. "Fine."

She took the letter from his hand and read it.

'_Gaara-sama.-_

_Sorry I wasn't there four our next date, but there are serious circumstances that make it impossible for me to be present._

_I must soon leave to a mission in the land of snow to help with the invasion from the sound ninja._

_For this reason, I need to ask you to take care of Kuromaru. Onii-san is leaving with me so there's no one at home who can feed it. I'm sorry if it's too much trouble._

_I am also sorry for not being able to tell you this personally. I wanted to see you one last time, but there was no time for that._

_I really wanted to see you._

_Good bye._

_Sadako'_

"So, what's wrong with that?" Temari asked, still not understanding what Gaara was so worried about. "She tells you that she wanted to see you before leaving, I don't see anything strange in that."

"That is exactly the part that worries me the most." He told her. "She says, 'I wanted to see you one last time', almost as if she was never going to see me again."

Temari looked at the letter again. Sure enough, there was something strange on that phrase.

"She could have said 'I wanted to see you again' or 'before I left'. But no, she said 'one last time'." Gaara said, sounding more and more worried every time. "And that last part…"

"Good bye." Temari read out loud.

"She could have said 'until we meet again' or 'take care' or that kind of stuff. But… good bye? It really sounds like she's gone for good."

"Calm down, Gaara." Temari soothed, resting Gaara's head against her chest. "So she made a couple of mistakes while writing that letter, it's really not that bad."

"But still, it makes me wonder…" Gaara closed his eyes, listening to his sister's heartbeat. He knew she was just trying to make him feel better. "Will I ever see her again?"

'_I hope so' _Temari thought. _'Or else I'll find her and give her a good reason not to come back.'_

"Yes. I'm sure you'll see her again."

"That's good." Gaara said.

His eyes closed, he kept listening to Temari's heart beat. To his sister, he was like a sleeping child. The little brother that she had never had the chance to hug before.

"There's something I wanted to ask her."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: I told you it was a short chapter, but don't worry, the next chapter is already finished. We just need to change a few things._

_Glacia: This chapter was not originally planed, but Gaara is also an important character in this story and we wanted to mention what he's doing while Sadako and the others are out on a mission._

_Ten: Once again sorry for the grammar mistakes. To be honest, we're not really good at that._

_Vianey: Yeah, I can barely speak properly._

_Ten: And what would Gaara want to ask Sadako? Believe me, it's not what you think._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	17. 17 The Day I Die

_This is an __unnecessary chapter, but we just felt like adding it to the story._

_Weird song by Glacia (sorry, its not that good)__, creepy nightmares are a courtesy of Ten._

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Day I Die**

_The sun won't shine_

_The day I die_

_The skies will cry_

_The day I die_

Sasuke woke up with the sound of his sister's voice. She was singing, but there was something strange about it.

_I will not see_

_When all is done_

_Don't cry for me_

_The pain is gone_

Her voice sounded so distant, so sad. And that song… why would she sing about something so gloomy such as dying?

He didn't know why, but something on her voice sent shivers down his spine.

_And the cold snow _

_That from sad clouds falls_

_Those are the tears_

_That I couldn't cry_

"Sadako?" Sasuke sat up. "Are you ok?"

But Sadako didn't answer, she just kept singing. Her voice echoing trough the cave.

_Burry me_

_Bellow the snow_

_On this cold place_

_That I've known and loved_

Sasuke turned his head on every direction to find her, but the place was too dark. He wondered what had happened to the embers Sadako had lit.

He stood up and walked slowly, trying not to step on anyone. But he soon realized his companions weren't there.

He was alone inside the cave. Alone with Sadako's gloomy song.

_Set a stone _

_To mark my grave_

_My resting place_

_Bellow this frozen land_

_Under this cold place _

_Which hope has left behind_

_This sorrowful land_

_That has turned my songs to stone_

_And gather up_

_My long lost tears_

_I cannot cry_

_I cannot feel_

Sasuke walked around the cave and found Sadako kneeling on a corner. Her back turned at him, her face hidden behind shadows and bangs of dark hair.

"Are you ok?"

Once again, Sadako didn't answer.

She seemed to be picking up something from the cave's floor.

_Don't cry for me_

_I'm still not gone_

_My body is dead_

_But my soul is not_

He walked even closer to her and felt his foot splash against a warm liquid.

Sasuke looked down and his legs fell numb. It was blood he had stepped on.

"Sadako… what…" He looked at her, fear growing inside his chest.

_It's in my blood_

_Which has been shed_

_It's in the snow_

_My soul's not dead_

"What's that you've got there?" He asked, noticing Sadako was holding something on her left hand.

Sadako stretched out her arm and opened her fist, revealing two white marbles.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with that, but when he leaned closer to get a better look, his heart stopped beating.

Those things were no marbles. Those were eyes she held on her hand.

"What the… where did you get those?" He asked, his head was spinning.

_Don't cry for me_

_Can you not see?_

_The skies are already_

_Crying frozen tears_

"Answer me!" He shout. "Where did…"

His voice trailed out as he saw Sadako taking one of the eyes with her right hand and placing it into her mouth.

A nasty popping sound erupted from her mouth as she bit down on it.

"Wait, Sadako stop that!" He told her, his voice quivering. "What, are you crazy?"

_The sun won't shine_

_The day I die_

_And the world won't stop_

_Just because…_

"Damn it!" He shook her by the shoulders. "Listen to me! At least look at me for God's sake!"

That was something he shouldn't have asked for.

Right before finishing the last sentence of her song, Sadako turned her face at him.

There was a nasty, crazy grin on her face and the right side of her face was almost completely frozen. Transparent skin went up her cheeks and stooped right beneath her right eye, but wasn't what freaked him out the most.

What truly scared him were her eyes. Or, the fact that her eyes weren't there.

Empty sockets stared at him, blood gushing in rivers from each of them. Sadako's entire face and clothes were tainted on it.

The sight was both gruesome and terrifying.

For Sasuke, it was as if the entire world had ended.

Sadako stretched out her left hand, offering Sasuke the eye she still held in it.

… _I've died._

Sadako finished her song with an insanely evil grin, which seemed to represent all of Sasuke's horrors and fears.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sasuke sat up gasping for breath.

"Onii-san?" He heard Sadako's voice behind him. "Are you ok?"

"Sa-Sadako…" He was afraid to look at her face, but a strong impulse made him turn his head towards her.

There she was. Her pale face as sweet as ever, her dark eyes staring worriedly at him.

"Onee-san!" He threw his arms around her neck and hugged her so tightly that he was afraid of hurting her.

Obviously taken by surprise, Sadako only widened her eyes.

"What's wrong my love?" She asked, running her hand down his hair.

"You, and… your eyes!" he pushed her away and ran his hands down her face. "There was blood everywhere and…"

"That must have been a nightmare." Sadako calmed him down. "I'm fine, can't you see?"

Sasuke looked around. The fire, the sleeping Shinobi, everything was there.

He sighed, both relieved and ashamed.

"But I… I heard you singing."

"Oh, yes." Sadako smiled. "I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, so I was kind of… singing myself to sleep."

"But that's such a gloomy song." Sasuke frowned.

"That was Kori's favorite song." Sadako said. "I hate it too, but it was the only one I could think of."

"Well, don't do it again." He pulled her closer. "That song gave me nightmares."

"I won't, I won't" Sadako giggled. "Next time, I'll…"

She was interrupted by Kiba, who suddenly sat up and coughed loudly.

"Oh, God!" He complained while blowing his nose on a lavender tissue, probably Hinata's. "I can stand the coughing, but being unable to breath through my nose…"

He had another coughing fit and right after that he sneezed five or six times.

"Is truly killing me!" He said angrily.

"Bless you." Sadako said.

"Hey, Uchiha girl." Kiba called her.

"Sadako." Sasuke told him frowning.

"Yeah, whatever." Kiba rolled his eyes. "Can't you do something about it? It won't let me sleep! I would ask Hinata but she's lost in her dreams."

"Sure." She walked to Kiba. "Lift your face."

Kiba did as he was told.

Sadako pulled back her hand and with her open palm, she hit Kiba's nose with great force.

"Ah!" Kiba jumped back holding his nose. "You crazy sadistic witch! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Breathe." Sadako ordered.

"What?! After that you probably broke…"

"Just breathe!"

"Fine, but I doubt…" Kiba sniffed the air. His nose was no longer running and he could smell everything around him again.

"Hey, it worked. Thanks."

"Just thanks?" Sasuke stared at him.

"Oh, yeah." Kiba grinned. "Sorry about the 'Sadistic Witch' thing."

"No problem." Sadako smiled, walking back to Sasuke.

"Wait!" Kiba sniffed the air.

"What's wrong?"

"There are many smells coming from outside." He frowned. "And I don't like any of them."

Suddenly, they heard Yukiko roaring loudly outside.

"Yukiko!" Sadako shout, running to the entrance.

"Sadako, don't come out here if you're not ready!" Yukiko shout. "The enemy have arrived!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: Ha, sorry for the cliffy I couldn't help it. I just had to do it. Heh._

_Glacia: Whatever. _

_Ten: Sorry for the short chapter (again). Glacia's song is really cheap, isn't it?"_

_Glacia: Your nightmare wouldn't scare a new born. And you call yourself a writer._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_


	18. 18 To War Part 1

_Sixteen months. Sixteen months since we uploaded the last chapter, it's unbelievable. One day you're thinking of what to write about next and then you wake up in a hospital bed and find out that you've been asleep for… well, at least it was after my graduation. To all my readers, I hope you still want to know how it all ends. And to those who have loyally been waiting, I cannot possibly thank you enough. _

_Chapter was too long, so it was divided into two…_

**Chapter Eighteen**

**To War**** (Part 1)**

"Sadako, don't come out here if you're not ready!" Yukiko shout from outside the cave. "The enemy has arrived!"

Sadako's heart fell all the way down to her feet. But, how could this be possible? The enemy here… now?! This couldn't possibly be true, it was too sudden. Without a single strategy in her mind they would go down easily. She didn't know how many enemies were outside or how strong they were, but by the things they'd seen so far, bringing them down wasn't going to be easy.

What was she to do now?

Fall to her knees and start crying?

Her legs were about to give up when she was snapped back to reality by Sasuke's voice.

"Get up!" He shout to the others. "Get up, hurry!"

"Mnn… what's wrong?" Naruto asked rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"They're here!" Kiba informed.

"Now?" Ino gasped.

'_Focus' _Sadako shook her head to clear it up.

"Ok team!" She straightened up. "No need to panic, let's just go outside and take a look."

They walked to the cave's entrance, were Yukiko was growling and snarling for all it was worth.

"No way…" Sakura said in dismay. "So… many…"

The only reason they couldn't count the number of enemies, was because their eyes couldn't see so far ahead.

"Neji?" Tenten asked.

"Too many." Neji answered, looking at the battlefield with his Byakugan.

"Far too many." Hinata agreed, pushing back her own Byakugan.

"03:00 a.m." Shikamaru checked his watch. "We have to start fighting this early? How troublesome."

Sadako looked at the enemies before them, there were faces in the crowd that she recognized. Her mind drifted back to the night when her home had been attacked, the night this terrible curse had been laid upon her. The night she lost the only mother she'd ever known.

As she heard Shikamaru's complain, all fear vanished from her.

Time didn't matter now, neither did the number of enemies. Anger burned inside her chest as she stared at them. She was eager to start the battle, eager to get revenge for her land, and for her people.

"Three, eh? That's a good time. When the sun rises this morning, there'll be none of them left standing."

_(Insert dramatic silence here)._

"Yeah, right!" Sakura said annoyed. "Do you even have a strategy?"

"You want a strategy? Here it is." Sadako smiled. She had turned back into the "White Tiger" warrior they'd seen before. "Just bring down as many of them as you can with one hit."

"Uh…when you say bring them down…" Ino stuttered. "Do you… you don't really mean… like…"

"Just put a kunai through their heads, is that clear?" Sadako sighed.

"Yeah, I thought it was something like that."

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Naruto said eagerly. "I'm ready for the battle!"

"Sorry Naruto-kun, there will be no battle today." Sadako pulled out a blue ribbon from the pocket of her jacket and tied her black hair into a ponytail. "Today, we go to war."

"We'll be heroes." He said, his blue eyes sparkling.

"If there ever existed heroes." Yukiko growled. "Their time is now."

"Yes, our time…" Sadako held up her left hand, ready to give the signal. "…Now!"

The team of Konoha spread through the battlefield.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Here we go!" Naruto put his hand together to form a ninja hand sing. "Tajuu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

About twenty Naruto clones appeared on the scene.

"As many as I can." The blond boy smiled. Striking his best heroic pose, Naruto called to his clones. "Naruto Heroic Troop, lets go!"

"Let's go!" The clones answered, springing into action.

"Heroic kick!" One of them kicked an enemy on the stomach; the impact was so hard that the sound ninja flew backwards.

Two clones were reached by kunai and disappeared into wisps of smoke.

"Heroic punch!" Another clone hit a skinny boy on the face, breaking his nose.

"Heroic this!" Yelled a red-haired kunoichi sending a shower of kunai towards the clones.

About five or six of them were hit, including the real Naruto, who received a shuriken on his left forearm.

"Agh!" Naruto pulled out the shuriken and threw it back, but it was easily avoided. "You'll pay for that!"

"Can't you just die quietly?!" She asked.

"You can't kill me, I'm a hero!" Naruto threw a kunai, which was easily avoided… again.

"Let's find out!" She ran to him with an evil grin.

She got closer and Naruto was about to jump away when suddenly there was a flash of pink and a loud cracking sound.

It took him a couple of second to realize what had happened.

"Sa… Sakura-chan!"

Sakura stood between him and the enemy. At first, he was afraid she might have been harmed, but then he saw her fist buried in the enemy's face… literally.

"Damn it Naruto, stop playing hero already!" Sakura was annoyed. "This is serious!"

She pulled back her hand. The red haired girl fell limply to the ground, her face completely unrecognizable.

Naruto stared at her openmouthed.

He was so shocked that he didn't even noticed the wave of kunai flying towards them.

"Move, baka!" Sakura pushed him away.

Naruto was brought back to reality by a sharp pain on his cheek. He set his palm over the wound, being glad the kunai had missed.

Sakura, on the other hand, received a kunai on her right shoulder.

"SHANNARO!" She angrily pulled it out and threw it back at it's owner. The ninja took the hit dead on. "What are you waiting for, an invitation?"

Naruto blinked rapidly, shaking clouds from his eyes.

"Here we go again!" he made a ninja sign and twenty clones appeared next to him. They quickly leaped all over the place to help Sakura.

"U-ZU-MA-KI!" Some clones teamed up against an enemy. "Naruto Rendan!"

"Rasengan!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Even more clones appeared. The air was soon filled with their shouts.

"Rasengan!"

"Let's go –Dattebayo!"

"Naruto Rendan!"

He soon realized that even thou the sound ninja were fighting back, they weren't really that strong. A few bruises was all he had until now.

'_Great!' _He thought. _'This might not be so hard after all."_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Sharingan!" Sasuke's eyes turned from charcoal black to blood red.

A boy with shoulder-length brown hair ran towards him at full speed, but it made no difference if the boy was running or walking. To Sasuke's eyes, he was going in slow motion.

When the boy was close enough, Sasuke kicked him up in the air and with a swift movement positioned himself behind the enemy.

"Shishi Rendan!"

_BAM! _After a combo of hits, the boy was slammed against the frozen ground.

At that same moment, he heard Lee's shout of…

"Omote Renge!"

And an even stronger impact shook the ground.

"Yes!" He smiled and gave Sasuke a thumbs up sign. "Even in snow, the lotus of Konoha will bloom!"

Behind him, Sasuke could see about twenty pairs of legs sticking out of the snow.

"Wow…" Sasuke muttered to himself. "He took Sadako's words too seriously."

"Look this way!" Rock Lee waved his hand towards the victims of his technique, then began talking like a TV salesman. "This is the power of Lotus! All these enemies with only one attack, imagine what I could do with some more… agh!"

Lee shrank in pain as his muscles received the consequences of this double edged technique.

"Baka." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Focus." A female voice chimed behind him.

He turned around to face the voice's owner and he felt a heavy weight on his chest. It took him a while to realize that there was a girl clinging to him. Her arms and legs were wrapped tightly around him, so tight that it was hard to breath and impossible to move.

"Get… off!" Sasuke tried to shake her off, but she only tightened her grip on him.

Laughing softly, she brought her face closer to Sasuke's until their foreheads were touching.

"Get off me!" He struggled to shake her off, the smell of her cheap perfume itched inside his nose, making it even harder to breathe.

Closing her eyes, she began humming a soft tune. Something in her voice made his eardrums shake, as if she were screeching into his ears.

"Stop… stop that!" His ears felt as if they were about to bleed. It reminded him of that Dozu guy's technique, back at the Chunnin exams.

Sasuke knew that if this continued, not only his hearing, but also his sense of balance would be completely destroyed.

Where was that show off Lee now that he needed him?

Sasuke was already turning purple due to the lack of oxygen. He shut his eyes closed, trying to block out the sound and think of something.

"No!" Cried out an angry voice he knew too well.

All of a sudden, Sasuke felt a hard tug and the song stopped, replaced by a short yelp.

He opened his eyes and saw the sound ninja, with her head tossed back and away from his. Behind her stood Sadako with her face red from anger, pulling hard at the girls hair with both hands.

She was tugging so hard, that some thick strands of hair were being ripped off the girl's head by the root.

"Let go of my hair!" The girl shrieked painfully.

"Let go of my brother!" Sadako said menacingly. She gave the hair a yank so strong that she even tore off some pieces of scalp. Blood came out painfully from the wounds.

"OW!" The girl complained. "No, he's -AH!- mine now!"

Sadako's mouth dropped open, as if that was the most offensive thing she'd ever heard.

Frowning deeply, she raised her right hand, the one made of ice, and slapped the girl across the face with such force, that her grip on Sasuke loosened instantly.

Sasuke jumped away and coughed for breath. It was then that he realized the girl had fainted. Still holding her by the hair, Sadako flung her away as if the sound ninja was no more that a rag doll.

Yukiko appeared out of nowhere and caught her in midair between it's sharp fangs. Growling, it shook it's head furiously.

Sasuke looked away. Seeing someone being torn apart by an angry tiger wasn't something he was dying to see.

Cold as ice, his sweet sister didn't even seem to care. She was too busy shaking hair from her gloves, her purple lips twisted in disgust.

"Great!" She looked at Sasuke apprehensively. "I leave for about five minutes, and girls are already climbing up on you?!"

'_Jealous much?' _Sasuke thought. He didn't even know Sadako could do jealous.

"It's not like I was enjoying it!" Sasuke shot back indignantly. "And what's with the hair pulling and face slapping? This isn't a cat fight, you know?"

"You're welcome." She said, running towards some nearby enemies.

Sasuke ran next to her. Swiftly, they each kicked an enemy up in the air.

"Shishi Rendan!" They said simultaneously.

Three kunai flew to them and Sasuke quickly formed some hand signs.

"Katon, Housenka!" With great aim, he deflected every single one of them with his fire and stroked the kunai's owner as well.

Numerous sound ninja formed a circle around them and began whispering strange words.

"Ah!" Sadako covered her ears. It was as if a thousand voices were yelling right into her ears.

Sasuke tried to use a jutsu, but he couldn't remember what hand signs he had to use. He looked at Sadako, expecting her to do something, but she kneeled on the ground covering her ears.

"Onii-san!" She begged painfully. "Make them stop!"

But he couldn't stop them, he couldn't think, he couldn't even see straight anymore. Even in the darkness of dawn, it somehow got darker, which could only mean one thing… he was about to pass out.

It was then that he heard it.

Actually, because his ears were filled with distorted cries, he felt it, rather than hear it. A sort of humming sound, like the _'buzz, buzz' _of static. Low and tiny at first, almost as if it wasn't really there. But then it grew louder and louder, crawling up his skin and completely drowning any other noise.

The sound ninja shut their mouths; their attack was completely useless now.

The Uchiha twins shook their heads, as if snapping out of a trance. Sadako jumped to her feet and stood next to Sasuke.

"What the…" A kunoichi with green braids was looking frantically around. "What just happened?!"

Inky darkness surrounded them, it was too dark to even see three steps ahead. The _buzzing_ sound grew even louder, along with something that sounded like tiny shrieks.

Sasuke and Sadako looked around, they couldn't see the enemy with their Sharingan, which meant the enemy couldn't see them either.

Was this some kind of jutsu? Probably. But if so, who was responsible for it? The sound ninja were just as startled as they were.

It was getting claustrophobic, as if they were in a room with walls closing in on them. The _buzzing_ felt closer every second that passed.

"This isn't normal darkness." Sasuke mumbled looking around.

"Right." His twin agreed. "This isn't even darkness."

"Don't just stand there, do something!" Someone shout.

But they never got the chance.

Suddenly, the sky split in two. Moon light and a streak of dark blue visible through the crack.

And then the whole night seemed to evaporate… dissolve into a million pieces.

Shards of night sky flew towards the sound ninja, engulfing them with darkness.

Yet darkness doesn't bite.

The twins stared at the boy with the heavy jacket standing just behind the circle of enemies.

"Shino."

"Shino-san."

Aburame Shino, the kikaichu master, fixed the dark glasses over his nose. He wore a heavy jacket with the hood pulled so low over his head, it almost covered his eyebrows. The only visible part of his face had something moving under the skin.

Sasuke and Sadako looked at the circle of ninja, but there wasn't much left anymore. They had been devoured by the gigantic horde of kikaichu. All they saw was the black mass of bugs flying back into Shino's sleeves.

"I see the cold didn't affect them." Sadako said, referring to the kikaichu.

"They need a lot of chakra to stay warm." Shino said dryly. "But there's plenty here."

And with that, he was gone.

Sasuke grimaced.

"Those things are disgusting." He said, rubbing the back of his neck to make sure none of the things were crawling there… again. He hadn't forgotten that time in the forest.

"I wonder…" Sadako tilted her head. "How can he see anything with those glasses and this dark?"

"Who cares?" Sasuke shrugged, lashing out at the next round of enemies.

Kunais, jutsu, shurikens, impacts and blood.

For the ninja of Konoha, this was everything that existed now.

Some bruises here, using a jutsu there. Jump to avoid the kunai, but be careful where you land, 'cause there's enough snow here, as to burry you alive.

Existence was now defined by strength and souls were replaced by chakra. Life and death were separated by a line so thin, that it was impossible to know where to stop before crossing onto the other side.

"Juujin Bunshin!"

Kiba stared at the enemies before them as Akamaru turned into his own reflection.

"Here goes!" The dropped to all fours and charged forward, trying to gain speed before the final trick. "Gatsuuga!"

The world became a blur now, they were spinning ridiculously fast. Kiba shut his eyes closed, trusting on his sense of smell to guide the way.

Smells mixing together.

Impact… and a ripping sound.

Another impact, another.

How many was it now? One, two… ten… a hundred?

So many smells, so many impacts. It was impossible to know.

Kiba and Akamaru forced themselves to stop when they picked up a familiar smell.

The boy straightened himself up and the dog regained its original form with a soft _'poof!'_

A few feet away, across from them, Chouji's massive Nikudan Sensha rolled to a stop. Shrinking back to his normal size, he gave Kiba a quick smile. Then, so fast it almost looked like a joke, his expression changed from pride to genuine horror.

'_Shit!' _Kiba thought. _'Behind me?'_

He spun around quickly, ready to face whoever was trying to attack him… but no one was there.

'_What?' _Kiba frowned. _'Then what in the world is that idiot staring at?'_

Lowering his gaze, he found the answer.

The snow under his feet had turned red with blood, the red liquid dripping from his clothes.

Sweat rolled down his face even thou he was freezing. He wiped it off, but the thing dripping from his hair and cheeks wasn't sweat.

"Auuhh." Akamaru whined next to him. It's white fur almost completely red.

Kiba bent over to throw up. Blood was everywhere, its metallic smell filling his nostrils.

"Senseless massacre." Chouji said.

Before him, Kiba's dismembered victims. All ripped and thorn apart.

Behind him, the flattened bodies of his own enemies.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: Hope you liked it, we spent month__s (sort of) trying to get this chapter right._

_Ten: I don't think it's violent enough thou…_

_Vianey: You don't? But you wrote it!_

_Ten: I know, but it could have been better…__ turned out fairly descent thou. God, I love Shino in this chapter, he's so hot!_

_Glacia: After all this time, we'll be lucky if anyone actually reads it._

_Vianey: I would have done it faster, but my arm still hurt 'cause of the I.V._

_Glacia: Whatever happened is already gone. This chapter was too long so we had to divide it into two. The beginning is kind of lousy, but it got better soon after._

_Ten: Yeah, I love that last part with Kiba. There's something really hot about a boy dripping with blood._

_Vianey/Glacia: You're creepy!_

_Ten: I know…_

_Vianey: Please send your reviews. Good or bad, we accept reviews of all sorts. Really!_

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	19. 19 To War Part 2

_Since we can no longer mention how bad the __story is because someone has threatened to end our lives if we do, I'm gonna say this chapter is good or at least acceptable XD. But seriously, I need your reviews. Once we get 100, our mission will be complete. So if you're reading this, please leave a review, even if it's out of pity. _

**Chapter Nineteen**

**To ****War (Part 2)**

"Rasengan!" Naruto tried his best hit, but it didn't work. The man caught his hand before he could even get close.

"Naruto!" Sakura tried to help him, but the man threw Naruto at her with great force, making them crash hard.

The impact made Sakura's jaw snap so hard that she almost bit off her tongue.

"Geff off!" She pushed Naruto off her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, noticing the tears in Sakura's eyes and the blood in her mouth.

"Oh, hef's godda pay fof diss!" She said, glaring hatefully at the two meter golem before them. He'd appeared out of nowhere and had been impossible to defeat.

"What do we do?" I'm almost out of chakra." Naruto said, panting. "We can't touch him, no matter how hard we try!"

"Thef hafs do be a way." Sakura clenched her fists. "Lefs cadd Safske-kud."

"I don't need that idiot, Sakura-chan! I can do it myself!" He yelled. "I'm the hero here!"

Naruto pulled out a kunai and ran to the man.

"Please! The man rolled his eyes. He grabbed both Naruto and Sakura and slammed their heads together.

For a moment, everything turned to darkness.

They regained their consciousness a while later, surprised to still be alive. Next to them stood the Hyuuga cousins, trying to protect their battered teammates.

Enemies flinched at the sight of the Hyuuga's Byakugan. Neji and Hinata's hands seemed to be moving at light speed and chakra flew in all directions.

If they were very quiet and listened closely, they could almost hear the explosion of organs.

Naruto sat up and rubbed his throbbing head. He looked everywhere, but the giant seemed to have disappeared.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata kneeled next to him, a worried look on her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "I am now."

Neji helped Sakura to her feet.

"Wheff iss de biff bad?" She asked.

"You should really fix that tongue." Neji suggested. "It looks really bad."

"He wads digh heed, dibn't you see him?" Sakura protested.

"There… was no big man here…" Hinata looked around. "At least, we didn't see him."

The giant seemed to have disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. There was no evidence that he'd ever been there at all, except for the throbbing pain on their heads.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Sadako!" Sasuke called out.

"Right behind you!" His twin answered.

"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Ice Style, Subzero no Jutsu!"

The Uchiha twins had gone through countless hours of training in order to find a good balance between Sasuke's fire jutsu and Sadako's icy techniques. There was no way they could combine them without contra resting each other, but there was one way they could each use different elements and still function as a team.

Standing back to back, they used one of their best strategies. The enemies standing on the left side of the field turned to ice statues as soon as they were reached by Sadako's attack, while the right side was reduced to ashes under Sasuke's fire.

It was as simple as that.

"See? I told you it would work!"

Sadako didn't answer.

Sasuke turned to look at his sister. She kneeled on the snow with her eyes shut tightly.

"Are you okay?"

She quickly changed her expression.

"Sorry." Smiling, she rubbed her neck with embarrassment. "I must have slipped, next thing I know, I'm sitting here."

"Be careful." He rolled his eyes and was forced to go back to the fight before he had time to help her up.

Good.

He did not see the pain in his sister's eyes, nor the right side of her neck, which she tried to cover with her scarf. Maybe this way, he wouldn't see the skin there turning to ice.

And maybe, if she was more careful next time… if she ignored the consuming pain and acted as if nothing were wrong… he wouldn't know about her suffering.

He wouldn't notice that the curse was spreading fast.

Sadako staggered to her feet, the incredible pain threw her off balance and the fact that the newly added weight on her right side made her sink an inch in the snow wasn't helping much.

"Sadako!"

"Coming!" Clenching her teeth, she ran to where Sasuke was standing.

"Look." He point somewhere ahead of them. There, completely surrounded by sound ninja, was Tenten.

The Uchiha twins ran to her, but as soon as she saw them, Tenten threw her hands up.

"Stop!" She shout.

Sasuke and Sadako stopped and looked at each other.

"What's wrong with her?" Sadako frowned.

"Back off!" Tenten waved her hands frantically. "Back off!"

"But…"

Tenten pulled two identical scrolls from her pockets and set them at her feet. After a few hand signs, the scrolls rocketed up to the sky. She followed a second afterwards.

"Shit!" Sasuke pulled at Sadako's arm. "Let's get out of here, hurry!"

"What…" Sadako followed her brother until he considered they were far enough. "What's that?"

Sasuke didn't answer, mesmerized by Tenten's rising scrolls, which had now taken into the form of twin white dragons.

"Soushouryu!" _(Did we spell that one right?) _Came the shout from far away.

Before anyone could even thing of running, all sorts of weapons rained from the sky.

There were kunais, senbon, shurikens big and small, daggers, katanas and other swords of every size and shape. It seemed as if every sharp and dangerous thing that existed was flying from Tenten's hands to the ninja below her… and she had a great aim.

By the time her feet were back on the ground, she had turned everything within reach into her personal pin cushion.

Tenten looked around to make sure she hadn't missed any targets.

Of course, she hadn't.

"Wow…" Was all Sadako could say. She'd never seen such a flawless attack.

Sasuke stared at Tenten as she searched for new weapons to add to her collection. The sound ninja wouldn't be needing them anymore.

Somehow, seeing Tenten's attack had given him half an idea. Now he searched his mind for the other half.

What was it?

The scrolls? The weapons?

Something about the scrolls…

He was too busy thinking, that he didn't see the kunai flying straight at him. Luckily, Sadako did.

"Onii-san!" Sadako jump0ed in front of him.

She stretched her right arm forward. The kunai bounced off her hand with a loud _'Click!' _

"Snap out of it!" His twin frowned.

Twin… the rising dragons… That was it!

"Sadako." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Have you seen me use the Ryuuka no Jutsu?"

"Well… yes." She was startled by his sudden reaction.

"Can you do it?"

"Y-Yeah, sure."

Sasuke smiled his usually cocky smile. This plan had to work.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tsunade stared out the window of her office, trying to ignore the ever growing amount of paperwork that piled up on her desk.

Being Hokage was no fun.

What was interesting about sitting in an old crappy office all day long? She had an entire village to look after and no free time. Nothing but work… the boring kind of work.

She looked through the mission requests, some where child's play, others seemed interesting and risky. How she wished to go on a mission, anything to avoid the responsibility of her rank.

Everyday, instead, she sat behind a heavy desk handing missions to other ninja. Later on, she would listen to their reports, whether they'd been successful or not. If they hadn't, it got even more complicated.

Then it went on and on again. The same thing over and over.

Even now, as she stood there looking outside, she expected the arrival of a new report. The only one she cared to hear about.

The door opened behind her and Shizune stepped in, a clipboard clutched tightly to her chest.

"I haven't finished yet, if that's what you're gonna ask." She turned away from the window to face Shizune. "And if it's not important, save your breath, I don't want to hear it."

"We have the scroll." Shizune handed the clipboard to Tsunade. "I just received a message from the second recovering team."

Tsunade's eyes lit up. The second recovery team was meant to bring back the scroll hidden in the cave, while the first one was supposed to do the same thing on the other side.

"Good." She put the clipboard down. "Have we got anything from the first team?"

"No, not yet. But the scroll had the missing piece on it, so they must have crossed over." She bit her lip. "Still…"

Tsunade took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she knew was coming next.

"I think it was a bad idea. Why did you sent those kids to the land of snow? It was a dangerous decision. You might have as well sent them to their death."

"There you go again." Tsunade sighed wearily. "I've told you before, there was no other choice. All higher rank ninja were helping with the invasion."

It was a stupid decision, she knew it, and the last thing she wanted was having Shizune constantly reminding her how stupid she'd been.

"Besides, I sent our best low ranked ninja."

"But there might be hundreds, even thousands of sound ninja on the other side! Do you really think a team of 13 will be able to handle it?"

"They'll be alright. Uchiha Sadako is with them."

"Uchiha Sadako is 15 years old!"

"It doesn't matter how old she is. That girl is the only one who could guide them through the land of snow. She's the only one who has actually been there!"

They both stood silent for a minute. When Shizune finally spoke, her voice sounded far away.

"Are you sure they'll be okay?"

"Don't worry, they will. Our ninja know how to do a good job." She leaned back on her high chair. "Besides, I sent both Uchiha together. I've seen the twins in action before and believe me, those two make a hell of a team."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sasuke and Sadako stood next to each other. In the darkness of dawn, it was impossible to see the web of strings around them. It took a while to get ready, but it was worth it.

The sound ninja began gathering around them, falling into their trap like flies on a spider web.

"Now?" Sadako asked.

"Hum." Was Sasuke's answer.

"Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu!" "Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

Hell broke loose as the twin fire dragons danced through the web, engulfing everything in their way with scorching hot fangs. Cries of agony filled the air as the sound ninja were burned alive.

_(Ten:__ This is my favorite paragraph.) _

The Uchiha twins stood in the middle of the chaos, knowing the fire wouldn't harm them even if it was so close that they were roasting inside their heavy jackets.

Finally, the dragons extinguished and disappeared into twisting wisps of smoke. All they left behind was molten snow and charred bodies.

The sight was gruesome. The smell unbearable.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a cry of pain coming from somewhere near.

The first cry was almost immediately followed by a second one.

He knew those voices.

"Let them go!" Shout an upset Naruto.

Sasuke turned in time to see Naruto flying through the air. He landed face first on the snow and skidded for a few feet before coming to a stop. The boy laid there motionless.

"Naruto!" Sasuke ran to him, but then he heard the cries of pain once more.

Following the sound, his eyes fell upon a two meter giant. On each hand, he held Sakura and Hinata by the hair, their feet dangling inches from the ground.

"What's the matter?" He laughed. "Don't you want them back?"

Laughing again, he shook the girls violently. They cried out once more.

Sasuke felt his face grow hot with anger.

"Katon, Goukakyuu…"

"I would reconsider that." Said the giant, holding Sakura and Hinata in front of him. "You don't want them to get hurt, do you?"

"He's using them as human shields." Neji stood next to Sasuke. His right arm hung limply at his side, obviously broken. "Nothing seems to work."

Sakura was trashing wildly and clawing at the man's hand while Hinata tried to block his chakra flow trusting her own chakra into his arm. Still, his grip didn't loosen.

"Puff be down you sod of a bifch!" Sakura hissed, her tongue was still sore. "I swed I'm godda bdeak you'd bones, evedy single one of them!"

Threatening him didn't help much, apparently.

Naruto sat up slowly, his face was burnt by the snow and two of his ribs were broken.

He looked up.

Sasuke and Sadako had arrived but were obviously not helping, because Sakura and Hinata were still dangling by the hair.

He clenched his fists. Wasn't there anyone who could help?

And then, like an answer to his question, he felt something stir inside him.

'_I can help.' _Said a voice inside his head. _'I can, if you let me…'_

Kyuubi.

'_No.' _Naruto closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids, he found Kyuubi's grinning face. _'Go away, I don't need you!'_

'_Don't you?' _It asked, shaking it's nine tails. _'But you can hardly move.'_

Naruto knew the fox was right, but accepting it's offer would be too risky. There had to be something else he could do.

'Too bad.' _Kyuubi shook it's head. 'We could have saved them… we could have saved HER.'_

Naruto opened his eyes now and saw Hinata there, her face twisted in pain and… were those tears running down her cheeks?

He clenched his teeth in anger and frustration.

"Fine… please help me…"

"Sadako, go get the tiger." Sasuke told his sister. "He can help."

Sadako was about to take off, but then she felt it. They all did.

The ridiculous amount of chakra that irradiated from Naruto. His chakra was so great that it covered his entire body in a fiery red armor. Two tails of chakra whipped wildly behind him.

"Put them down." He said in a raspy voice. His canines had grown a bit longer and even his sapphire blue eyes had turned blood red with slanted pupils. "Or I'll kill you."

The man stood speechless for a moment, too afraid to move. He'd never seen such a great amount of chakra, not even from "He" who had summoned them all to war.

Like a frenzied animal, Naruto flung himself at him, this time not caring if he used the girls as shields or not.

The man saw the blond boy flying towards him, his animal-like roar echoing inside his head, but he was too close now to do anything about it.

He released the girls so he would be able to attack. After all, he was twice as big as…

Too late.

Naruto tackled him down, the impact was harder than he expected. He felt his spine snap in two as he landed, the boy's claws buried deeply in his chest.

The man tried to push him away but this boy, this… beast, was too strong. His mind reeled back to other times. He'd heard of such power… but only in legends.

Naruto jumped away from the lifeless body, his hands dripping with blood.

"It's over." He said, closing his eyes and willing Kyuubi away. "Now, leave!"

Kyuubi grinned at him, it's razor sharp teeth glistening.

'_It might be over for him, but I'm just beginning.'_

"What?"

Naruto felt a wave of hatred and hunger growing inside him, taking over his body and senses.

"Stop it!" He cried out.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Sasuke ran to him. They knew Naruto was fighting the demon inside him. And only they knew what would happen, if Naruto were to loose.

"Naruto, stop it!" Sakura begged. "You have to!"

"Don't you dare bring that thing here!" Sasuke warned, but somehow he knew the Kyuubi could help in this battle.

Naruto snarled at them angrily. His teeth had gotten even sharper.

"Stay back." He warned through gritted teeth. He was now more beast than man, but still kept enough sanity to tell friend from foe.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata stood next to him, but he didn't dare look at her. Not like this.

"Run…" He said without turning. "Please…"

"What is happening to you?"

This time, he did look at her.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, then dropped to all fours.

The third tail appeared.

Hinata's tears. Her terrified white eyes.

That was the last image he got, before all reason left him…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Ten: Woah, I love that last part. Am I good, or what?_

_Vianey: Seriously, this time I can dare say we did a good job._

_Ten: Do you really mean it, or are you just afraid of being gagged with a spoon?_

_Vianey: … a little of both, I guess._

_Glacia: I did like it, Naruto appears a lot in this chapter. That's enough for me._

_Vianey: And since we're here, I'd like to thank all of those who sent their reviews._

_Glacia: We really appreciate you take the time to write them._

_Ten: And we hope someone's __**actually**__ reading __**this**__ part of the fic._

_Vianey: Well, whether you're reading it or not, thanks a lot __**Ajanime **__(formerly known as __**TsukiNoHime**__)__**, xTanshokkou **__(formerly known as __**sailorskyeblue**__)__**, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, frozen illusions **__(formerly known as __**Hana-Tenshi**__)__**, A Hidden Saint and Sinner, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki, Lady Malignant **__(formerly known as __**KazeKagamikko**__)__**, Twixdaman, justanothergaarafangurl, redfox-akatsuki, Imaybesomeone, sakura300000**__, __**PokeMariah, Alita 'n' Charlie and imouto12345.**_

_Ten: Wow, that's a lot._

_Vianey: I know, isn't it cool?_

_Glacia: And special thanks to __**xTanshokkou, frozen illusions, Lady Malignant, sakura300000 and Alita 'n' Charlie.**_

_Vianey: Please __**Alita-chan**__, don't kill us with a spoon!_

_Ten: Especially if it's a silver one, I can't stand silver!_

_Glacia: Ignore them, thank you for sending your review and I hope you keep reading._

_YukiTenVianey Team out…_

_Just one last thing, my piece of crap –ejem- computer is broken (again), so the next chapter might take a while to be uploaded… it's so unfair._


	20. 20 Victory Or Defeat?

_My computer's still broken… had to borrow my sister's. __This thing has no grammar check and is extremely slow, so I apologize in advance for the grammar mistakes (I'm sure we made up some words too). Never thought we'd miss MY computer..._

_For those of you who've been waiting loyally. For those who wait no matter how l__ong it takes and for a special message someone sent me... __**frozen illussions, redfox-akatsuki and Sasuke's pal. **__This one goes for you..._

**Chapter Twenty**

**Victory Or Defeat?**

Hinata stared in horror at the thing that, just a few seconds ago, had been Naruto.

It was still him... in a way. It had his face, but those eyes weren't his.

She reached out her hand and tried to touch his face, hoping to calm him down. Before she could touch him, however, Naruto opened his mouth revealing rows of sharp teeth and a mighty roar erupted from deep inside his chest.

Hinata flinched and pulled her hand away. She was now convinced that the beast before her could not be Naruto.

That thing, whatever it was, looked at her for a moment, then it darted away.

"What was that?" Sadako asked, but everyone seemed just as shocked as she was.

"No time to explain." Sasuke pulled at her arm. "We have to warn the others."

"Warn them? About what?"

"Him!" He point at Naruto.

Sadako looked at him. He was lashing out at anything that moved with claws and teeth. The red chakra surrounding his body had now taken into the form of a red fox, complete with ears and (for some reason) three tails.

"But he's on our side!" She protested. "Why should we..."

"I just told you!" Sasuke said urgently. "There's no time to explain it right now!"

"Oh, yes there is!" Sadako pursed her lips with determination and stopped her brother in mid-step. "I'm the leader in this mission and if he's endangering the team, I at least have the right to know why. Don't you think so, Sasuke?"

There it was again. Sasuke? He could tell she was serious because she'd called him by his name instead of onii-san.

"We'll warn the others." Sakura offered. "You explain it to her."

"Take Hinata-sama to a safe place." Neji said before following Sakura.

The twins turned to look at Hinata, who was standing on the exact same place and staring into space.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Sasuke sighed. "But let's get her out of here first."

Sadako agreed to that. She walked to Hinata and tugged at her sleeve.

"Come on, Hinata-sama. We must get you out of here."

Hinata looked at her blankly. Frozen tears clang to her pale cheeks.

"Oh, no. You mustn't do that!" Sadako quickly scrubbed the frozen tears from Hinata's face. "I told you not to do it, it's dangerous!"

"Sadako, hurry!" Sasuke urged as a deafening explosion shook the ground beneath their feet.

"Coming!" She ran after him dragging Hinata behind. "Why does he do that?"

"Listen; remember what I told you about Gaara?"

"That he's an idiot?" She asked.

"No, the other thing."

"That he wears eyeliner?"

"No, not that!"

"That he's probably gay but no one has found out yet?"

"No!" Sasuke was getting frustrated. He now wished he hadn't said so much crap about Gaara, but the idiot deserved it for trying to take Sadako away from him. How he hated that red-haired freak! "Remember what I told you when you first met him?"

"Monster?" Sadako could feel Hinata flinching at the word.

"Yeah, that!"

"Jinchuuriki? But, don't tell me he..." She shook her head and stared at Sasuke with disbelief. "No way!"

Sadako couldn't believe what Sasuke had just told her. She didn't want to believe it.

A person such as Naruto, who was cheerful and had a smile bright enough to light up the whole world could not... **should not** be a Jinchuuriki.

But the evidence was clear. His chakra, such an imposing amount of power, could not belong to a mere Genin. She was forced to believe it, no matter how much she refused to.

How could she have been so blind? Even now that she'd learned the truth, she couldn't remember any hint about Naruto's identity. If he was indeed a monster, he'd never let it shine through.

Then again, Gaara had never shown any signs either. At least not in front of her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" They now stood at the top of a small mountain, the only safe place they could find. "You could have at least warned me!"

"And then what? Even if you'd known, what could you've done? Leave him out of the fight?" Sasuke laughed humorlessly. "You know that idiot Sadako, he would have fought even if you'd told him not to!"

He was right, but she was still mad for not being told.

"Look who's keeping secrets now." She said bitterly.

"Don't give me that, it's not gonna work this time!"

The stood silent for a moment, the battlefield bellow them seemed to get more dangerous every second that passed.

"Just tell me something." She said as the rest of the team began arriving. "Did everyone else know?"

"Only Sakura and me. It's kind of, like, Naruto's secret. We're not allowed to tell. Still..." He turned to Hinata now. "It surprises me that **you** didn't know."

Hinata closed her eyes slowly and let out a deep sigh. Her breath puffed in front of her face.

"I did know. He told me about two years ago." She fidgeted with the buttons of her lavender jacket. "It's just that... I'd never... never... seen him like t-this... before..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sound ninja flew through the air at great speed. As hard as they tried, none of them had been able to harm Naruto. They couldn't even get close without being swatted away like flies.

"Kiri-sama!" A ninja with a broken arm ran to the woman with short spiky blue hair. "Kiri-sama, we must retreat! There's no way we can defeat him!"

"You can't be serious!" She glared furiously at him. "We have this whole damned army, why can't we bring him down?"

"I'm afraid he's too strong!"

"There's only ONE of them now! What good is it having such a great army if it's full of worthless idiots?!" She looked around now, her force was getting smaller by the second because the beast spared no one's life.

"Our men no longer want to fight, they're afraid!" He was right, you had to be very brave (or stupid) to stand up to the Kyuubi. "Please, Kiri-sama. We must retreat!"

"NO!" She clenched her fists. "Kirmaru need the scroll and they have it! He trust his men to me because he knew I could do it, I'm not going back to him empty-handed!"

She pulled out a kunai and charged recklessly at Naruto. In her rage, she didn't even noticed what a stupid attack it was.

Naruto held her by the neck and easily lift her off the ground. Kiri kicked him hard on the chest but he didn't seem to notice. She was still holding the kunai, so she stabbed his hand with it. That only made him tighten his grip, his claws now digging in her throat.

"I'll... kill you..." She choked out.

Naruto snarled at her. In his eyes there was hatred and inhumane cruelty.

She kicked him again and again, then her body felt numb. Looking down, she saw Naruto's arm going right through her chest.

The last thing she saw, was her own blood splattered against his face.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Retreat!" A man with a broken arm called out. "Retreat!"

Even standing where she was, Sadako could hear their cries of defeat.

"What?" She stared in disbelief as the sound ninja scrambled away from Naruto like bugs when the kitchen light has been turned on. "Oh, no they won't!"

Sadako was about to go chasing them but Sasuke held her left arm firmly.

"Let them go." He said. "It's been enough."

"But, onii-san..."

She could only observe as the rest of them disappeared into the distance.

"It's all right, they're no treat anymore."

"I know that, but we can't just let them go!"

"Naruto is the only problem now. We must find a way to stop him before..."

"Hey!" Ino suddenly called out. "Where's Hinata?"

Everyone felt something invisible hitting the back of their heads. They knew exactly where Hinata was.

Sadako turned to look at Naruto. Sure enough, she was there, running clumsily towards him.

She stopped just a few feet away from him. They could see her talking, but couldn't make out the words.

Naruto looked at her, his three tails whipping violently behind him. He straightened himself to stand on his legs and not in all fours and took a step closer to her.

Hinata shrank but she didn't back down a single step.

The ninja of Konoha could only observe from the distance. They watched as the tails moved slower and slower with Hinata's words until finally, they stopped moving at all.

Sadako stared with amazement as Naruto's armor of red chakra started to dissolve on thin air. Then a cold realization made her heart stop.

"Shit!" She made an attempt to run, but Sasuke caught her arm again.

"Sadako, no!"

"It's thin ice!"

"I know it's dangerous, but if you go there, you'll only make things worse."

"You don't get it!" She jerked her arm away from Sasuke's grip. "They're standing on thin ice!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Naruto opened his eyes.

Dark... everything was darkness.

He felt himself floating. His senses were dull, his body weary. As if he'd just woken up from a deep sleep.

But, what had made him wake up?

_Please..._

A voice. Someone was talking to him. He knew that voice, but couldn't remember why. Where?

_Please stop..._

It sounded far away, barely a distant echo. He tried to remember, but his brain took a great effort to work. Finally, he gave up.

_I don't want to know. _Closing his eyes, he tried to sleep once again.

_Please, I'm begging you! _This time it was louder.

_Shut up! _He said wearily. _Let me sleep, I'm too tired..._

_Naruto-kun..._

His eyes shot open at the mention of that name.

_I know that name... yes... Naruto... me... _He sat up slowly. _I'm... Uzumaki Naruto..._

_Come back..._

_Where? I never left. What are you talking about?_

_Come back..._

_I can't understand. What are you talking about, Hinata? _That was it, the voice belonged to Hyuuga Hinata.

It all came back to him in a flash. The mission, the land of snow, Hinata and Sakura being attacked and then... nothing!

_Oh,__ no. What have I done?_

_What? You can't remember? _Kyuubi stood in front of him. A malicious grin spread on it's face.

_Fucking bastard, I should've known it was your fault!_

_Mine? But I did nothing wrong. You asked for power, and I granted your wish._

_You tricked me, you fucked up monster! _Naruto took a step towards Kyuubi, his feet splashing on water.

_Monster, what a joke! You're no better than I am._

Naruto looked down, the face reflected there was not his. Sharp teeth and blood red eyes, a monster stared back at him.

_No, you lie! _He looked away. _I'm not like you!_

_Rea__lly? Then... what are you?_

_I'm... I'm Uzumaki Naruto, from Konoha and I'll tame you like the bitch you are!_

_Naruto-kun..._

_Hinata? Hinata, where are you? _He looked around frantically. Far on the distance, he saw what looked like a window with a dirty glass. Hinata's voice came from the other side of the window.

_Come back..._

_I'm coming, I'm coming! _He ran to the window as fast as his legs could take him. _Wait for me!_

He stood in front of the window, but the glass was too dirty to see trough it.

_Hinata! _Naruto pressed his face against the window, trying desperately to get a look at the other side. Slowly, the glass cleared up and he could see her behind it.

Hinata stood in front of him. There were massacred bodies and red snow around them, and it was bastard cold!

He was back. Back to himself and the land of snow.

"I'm sorry." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Please forgive me."

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata smiled at him behind frozen tears. She opened her arms wide and took a step forward to hug him.

_Crack_

"What..." She stopped on her tracks.

Almost in slow motion, Naruto watched as her expression turned from confusion to surprise.

Her eyes wide open, she fell backwards and away from him.

He made a grab for her flailing arms, but it was too late.

_Splash!_

She hit the chilly waters and sank into its dark depts.

"Oh, no!" Sadako stood next to him. "I'm too late!"

"Hinata!" Naruto was about to throw himself into the water, but Sadako stopped him.

"No, you'll die!"

"But I've got to save her!" He protested.

"Don't worry." She tore off her scarf and jacket. "I'm on it!"

"Sadako, don't!" Sasuke came running, followed by the rest. "Please don't do it!"

"Stay back!" She warned, pulling off her gloves.

They obeyed.

"The land stops where Naruto is standing." She explained quickly. "Stay there and you'll be safe!"

"But, onee-san..."

"Sorry Sasuke, no time." She kicked off her shoes and dived into the deadly cold water.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hinata felt herself sinking deeper and deeper every time. She had tried to swim back to the surface, but her limbs were too cold to obey.

Useless. Any attempt she made would be useless, that was clear.

Her brain refused to help her think of a way to survive. Cold... that was the only thing she could think about. Not even the lack of oxygen seemed to bother her as much as the cold she felt.

_Is it over? _Hinata asked herself. _Already?_

It couldn't be over. Not now.

_It won't be so bad. _She thought.

Being a ninja, she'd always thought she would die in the battlefield. Drowning wasn't so bad, at least. There was no blood, and no pain.

Just a little longer, and it would all be over.

She would never again feel misplaced or ignored by her father. No more hiding, crying and running. No more would she ever lower her head with shame or fear, or keep quiet when she wanted to shout out. No one would look down at her anymore.

Never again. She would finally be free.

In her heart, there was only one regret...

_I should have told Hanabi that she can have my dolls. _A tiny smile formed on her lips.

Something ahead caught her eye. It swam towards her at a great speed.

_What's that? _It had human shape, but that was the only thing she could make out. _A mermaid?_

No.

What at first glance had appeared to be a tail was actually dark hair.

Hinata stared at it as it got closer. It stretched out one of it's arms toward her.

That dark hair... could it be? The person she'd longed to see for years on end. The one she'd lost so long ago.

_Mother?_

With her remaining strength, Hinata held out her arms. She felt her mother pull her into a tight embrace, and the rest was darkness.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_She'll live. _Sadako's words played again and again inside Naruto's head. _She'll live._

He stood at the cave's entrance, not daring to go inside. The guilt over Hinata's misfortune was eating him alive, so stepping in to face everyone's accusing stares would only make it worse.

Not to mention Neji wouldn't let him near her and Kiba was probably going to bite his head off.

"Sounds fair." He dropped himself on the snow covered ground. "It's no one's fault but my own. If Hinata hadn't tried to stop me, she wouldn't..."

The image played again before his eyes. Sadako dragging her out of the water, both with death pale skin and black lips.

The only difference, was that Hinata wasn't breathing.

He saw her lying there lifelessly, her white eyes staring into space. And for a cruel moment that felt like eternity, he was sure he'd lost her forever.

"Kuzo!" He buried his face in his hands, hot tears coming in rivers out of his eyes. "I put the whole team in danger and almost killed her!"

"Don't do that." Someone said. "It's dangerous to cry in a place like this."

Naruto looked up and found Yukiko there. He'd been too busy dwelling in his guilt that he hadn't noticed the tiger pilling up the dead bodies near the entrance.

"Hey, don't put them there! You want the enemy to know where we're hiding?" Naruto asked, wiping off his tears.

"They already know where we are." Yukiko answered, pilling up even more bodies. "Haven't you noticed we're in the same cave we were before? Those who escaped will come back with a greater army and we will soon be facing their counter attack."

"What?"

"We can't change our hiding place as long as that girl's in danger."

Great, more guilt. Just what he needed!

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault." The tiger shook it's head. "We couldn't have done it without you help. Besides, if they want to find us, they'll do it wetter we're hiding or not."

"You've got that one right." Naruto watched in silence as Yukiko finished stacking the bodies in neat piles. It kept him distracted for a while and then, just out of curiosity, he decided to ask.- "Say, Yukiko... what are you gonna do with those?"

"What do you think?"

"C'mon, you're not gonna eat them, are you?" He joked.

"Yes, I am."

"What?" Naruto stared at the tiger, his blue eyes wide in disbelief. "Really? But..."

"That's how things work. We fight together, you keep the glory, I keep the food. Now, if you'll excuse me..." It set it's giant paw over one of the bodies. "I've got to start before it's all completely frozen."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"He's not." Sadako stepped out of the cave. "It's his victory feast."

"Sadako!" Naruto immediately bombed her with questions. "How is she? Is she all right? Is she awake yet?"

"Like I said," Sadako answered calmly. "she'll live. Sakura checked, there's nothing wrong aside from the hypothermia. She's still asleep, thou."

"I'm glad." He sighed with relief.

"By the way, I'm fine too. But thanks for asking."

"Ah..." Naruto stared stupidly at her.

He was so worried about Hinata that he had completely forgotten about Sadako. That girl had risked her life to save a teammate!

It hadn't occurred to him that Hinata would have drowned if it wasn't for Sadako. Because, while the rest only stared openmouthed, Sasuke's sister had thrown herself in the water without a second thought.

"Are you all right?"

"And now you ask me? It sure took you a while." She smiled. Her lips were still a deep shade of purple. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"You sure? 'Cause you look a bit weak to me."

It was true, Sadako had dark rings under her eyes.

"Nothing to worry about."

She was acting nice, but Naruto could see the look of disappointment in her eyes.

"Listen, I'm sorry." He apologized. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I can't go around telling people 'Hey, I'm a monster!'. That's not gonna get me a lot of friends, you know?"

"I guess not." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right, I'm in no position to judge. But please, don't you ever call yourself a monster again."

"Why not? Now everyone knows I'm a freak!"

"Don't say that!" She looked hurt.

"Why does it bother you so much? It's me we're talking about!"

"Well, if you're a monster for being different..." She pulled off her scarf. Now the ice had spread through the right side of her neck and the bottom of her chin. "Then, what does that make me?"

Naruto stared in horror.

"God! How did... why..." He remembered Sadako explaining how it grew every time she used chakra. "How far does it go now?"

"It's down to my waist."

"Does Sasuke-teme know?"

Sadako shook her head no.

"Fine, I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

"It's a deal." She wrapped the scarf around her neck again and made sure it covered her chin as well.

"The last thing I want is that idiot throwing a bitch fit. He's so dramatic lately." They both laughed. "Seriously now, I've got a lot of explaining to do."

"Then you should start." She led him to the entrance.

"No, I can't go in there. They're probably still mad."

"Maybe so. But because of you, we were able to achieve victory."

"Victory?"

"Well, they ran away. So I guess this is our victory."

"It feels like a defeat to me."

"Most victories do." She sighed. "You should know."

"Yeah, I've had my share."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"At least I kept my promise." She said softly.

"Promise?"

Naruto wasn't sure what she was talking about. He looked around and saw the dead bodies, the blood tainted snow and the clearing sky.

"When the sun rises this morning," She quoted. "There'll be none of them standing."

With that, she turned around and walked inside.

"Victory..." He walked after her.

Behind them, the sun rose with a tint of red.

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_Vianey: And just like that, chapter 20 is done…_

_Glacia: I've read better._

_Vianey: I know, it's hard to surpass "To war" and "To War 2"._

_Ten: Don't be ridiculous, those were the best chapters, you'll never surpass them!_

_Vianey: Hey, thanks for the support girl._

_Glacia: I liked that part inside Naruto's head._

_Vianey: Yeah, I've had a lot of experience about going in and out of limbo…_

_Ten: Anyways, long story short, just 5 more chapters and it's over._

_Glacia: We need 100 and we're not even close! It's frustrating._

_Vianey: But we have our share. So thanks a lot .- __**Ajanime, xTanshokkou, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, frozen illusions, A Hidden Saint and Sinner, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki, Lady Malignant, Twixdaman, justanothergaarafangurl, redfox-akatsuki, Imaybesomeone, sakura300000**__, __**PokeMariah, Alita 'n' Charlie, imouto12345 and Sasuke's pal.**_

_Ten/Glacia: Thank you!_

_Vianey: And special thanks to __**xTanshokkou, frozen illusions, Lady Malignant, sakura300000 and Alita 'n' Charlie.**_

_Without anything meaningful or important to say._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	21. 21 Not Fair

_**Important!: **__Please answer the poll in our profile, it's necessary for the last chapter._

**Chapter Twenty****-One**

**Not Fair**

"I've already told you." Sakura explained for the tenth time. "She'll be fine."

"But she's not waking up!" Naruto clutched Hinata to his chest. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"I really don't know. She's breathing normally but her heart beats are slow."

"Maybe if I get her closer to the fire…"

"No, that'll be too dangerous." Sadako warned. "If she heats up too fast, she could die."

"Then, what can I do?"

"Just keep her close to you, she needs to stay warm."

"Ok." He held her closer still and ran his hand down her cold cheek. The color was slowly returning to her face, although she was still pale. "Are her clothes dry yet?"

"No." Tenten answered. "They're still wet."

Hinata's clothes had been soaked when she fell. Now he understood why Sadako had taken off hers before diving after Hinata, dry clothes were necessary for survival.

Naruto looked down at the sleeping girl between his arms. In her spare clothes they only found a black long sleeve and a pair of pants, that wasn't enough to protect her from the glacial cold.

So the whole team had to provide clothing.

The sleeping Hinata now wore, aside from her own spare clothes. - A red sweater from Tenten. Blue, black and green gloves belonging to Neji, Shino and Kiba. Sakura's fluffy pink scarf. Stripped blue socks from Ino and brown socks from Shikamaru. Rock Lee's orange leg warmers. Chouji's white earmuffs. Naruto's black cap and a blue jacket from Sadako, who had been the only one smart enough to bring a spare one.

Sasuke had provided an extra blanket.

Everything was mismatched and half the clothes didn't fit her well. But to Naruto, she'd never looked cuter.

If only she would wake up.

"Try rubbing her chest." Sadako suggested. "That will help."

"Rub her… what?" Naruto blushed bright red.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows like saying 'WTF?', Neji and Shino frowned and Kiba stood up dramatically.

"Don't you dare?" He warned the blond boy. "If you touch her, I'll tear your arms off!"

"Arf!" Akamaru backed up Kiba's treat.

"I won't do it!" Naruto threw his hands up in the air. "Sadako, I can't do that!"

"All right, all right. It was just a suggestion. There's no need to start killing each other." Sadako rolled her eyes. "And note that I said **chest**, not **breast**." She added before walking away.

The boys blushed red with embarrassment while the rest of the team laughed at them.

"Dirty mind?" Ino asked while laughing her heart out.

Sadako would have laughed too, if she weren't feeling so miserable.

She walked to the end of the cave and sat down to observe her battered teammates.

Neji's right arm was broken, that was a great downside. How was he to use his Juuken with only one good arm?

Ino had a sprained ankle. Not good for running.

Lee's muscles had been pushed to the limit. He now laid motionless on the ground, his eyes half closed and his entire body exhausted. Obsolete.

Shikamaru had three broken fingers in one hand and the other one was swollen. Forming hand signs was out of question.

Sakura had healed her tongue, but it was still an unhealthy purplish color.

Chouji had an ugly gash covering the whole left side of his face and frozen bugs kept dropping out of Shino's sleeves.

The rest of the team had some minor cuts and bruises, but they didn't have enough strength to face the enemy's counter attack which, surely enough, would come soon.

Sadako heaved out a deep sigh and let herself fall flat on the ground. She felt weak and tired. No matter what they did, this was obviously a battle they weren't going to win.

To top things up, the pain in her right side refused to go away. It stung her like a thousand needles prickling at her skin. Every now and then, she could have sworn the curse was spreading.

The pain kept banging mercilessly at her right side until it became unbearable. It was as if her skin was being stretched beyond its own capacity.

"You okay?" Sasuke kneeled beside her.

"S-Sure." She sat up. "Just a little tired."

Se did look tired, but not only that, she also looked pale and sick. Sasuke noticed the dark rings under her eyes and that she was shivering.

"I don't think so." He pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. "Sadako, you're burning with fever!"

"I'm all right." She pushed his hand away. "A little rest is all I need."

"Why don't we tell Sakura? She can help."

"No." She laid down again. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"You're so stubborn."

Sasuke sat down next to her. He was worried, even if she'd told him not to be.

Sadako fixed the scarf around her neck, instead of her usual black scarf, she wore a bulky white one that went around her neck three or four times and covered the bottom part of her face, muffling her voice when she talked.

"Take that off." He tugged at one end of the scarf. "It's too big, I'll lend you mine."

Almost by reflex, Sadako sat up.

"Thank you but no. I like this one."

Sasuke frowned. _Talk about weirdness. _

She'd been acting strange since the battle had ended, almost like she was avoiding him.

He knew Sadako had the bad habit of avoiding everything that bothered her, like talking about her life in the land of snow, how she'd gotten her Mangenkyo and that thing on her arm.

Right now, she was avoiding HIM for some reason.

_It's like that time with the gloves._He thought. _No, wait… it's __**exactly**__ like that time with the gloves!_

"Sadako?"

"Yes?"

"Take off your scarf."

"W-Why?" She asked, a glint of fear in her muffled voice.

"Just do as I say, take it off."

"No." She stood up.

"Why not?" He stood up too. "It's just a scarf."

"I don't want to."

"Take - It - Off." He said slowly.

"No."

"I said take it off!" Sasuke was the first one to raise his voice.

"And I told you I won't!"

The rest of the team turned to look at them now. It wasn't like the Uchiha twins to be yelling at each other's face like that.

Sadako had stood up too fast, a strong wave of dizziness threw her off balance for a second. Sasuke used this opportunity and grasped her arm firmly.

"Leave her alone, dude." Naruto told him.

Sasuke didn't listen to him and pulled off Sadako's scarf. The ice mark glistened horribly before his eyes, it had now spread all the way to her jaw.

"What's this?" He asked dramatically.

"Onii-san, please…" She begged weakly.

"Shut up! Why didn't you tell me Sadako?" He shook her violently, not caring wetter he was hurting her or not. "Why don't you **ever **tell me?"

"And what could you've done?" She pulled away. "Don't you understand? There's nothing you can do about it!"

"How do you know? You never let me try!" He felt angry and frustrated. "You're so selfish!"

"Selfish?" She asked indignant. "Well, forgive me for keeping the pain to myself! Next time I'll tell everyone how much it hurts so that they can pity me!"

Sasuke realized not that he had no reason to be angry. Sadako was so worried about the team that she'd put herself in second place. She had kept the pain to herself just so she wouldn't worry anyone else.

But the feeling of anger was still inside him. Even if Sadako was right, even if there was nothing he could do about it, he was mad at her for not trusting him.

Sasuke tried to push his stupid anger away, but it didn't left him completely. Anger's just like that, it makes you feel like you've got every right to be mad, even if you're the one who's screwing up.

_Calm down now, you're acting like a fool. _

Just as he was trying to do so, Sadako spoke up again.

"Please give it back."

"What?"

"My scarf." She point at the scarf in his hand. "Please give it back."

"Here." He unwrapped the blue scarf from around his neck and hand it to her. "Use mine."

Sadako looked at it hesitantly, then shook her head.

"No, thank you."

"Really, I don't mind." He said, taking her hand and dropping the blue scarf on it. "This one's better than the one you were wearing."

"Thank you, but…" She hand it back to him. "I'd rather have mine."

Sasuke frowned. Sadako seemed a bit too interested in that ugly white scarf.

"Why are you making such a fuss over it? It's not even a scarf, anyways. It's just a piece of cloth that's not even thick enough to… wait!" He held it closer to his face. He was right on one thing, it was just a piece of cloth. But what bothered him the most was that it looked too familiar. "Isn't this the thing Gaara keeps wrapped around his right shoulder?"

Sadako flinched at the question. Obviously enough there was no need for an answer.

That little spark was enough to make him explode. Sasuke felt something go _snap _inside his head, and he went crazy with rage.

"Sadako, what the fuck?!"

"Onii-san…"

"Shut up! Why in the hell are you wearing this?"

"He… gave it to me…"

"Why?"

"My blouse had a rip on it, the ice mark was visible and I needed something to cover it up with."

"Oh, really? That's very convenient, isn't it?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"See?" Ino elbowed Shikamaru. "I told you she was going out with Gaara. Pay up!"

Shikamaru groaned and placed 500 ryo on Ino's extended hand. _(Note: We have no idea how much 500 ryo is)_

"Listen." Sadako noticed that everyone was looking at them. Even Lee had straightened up to get a better look. She had no intent of discussing her private life in front of the team. "Why don't we discuss this later?"

"There'll be no need for that. You're never seeing him again and that's the end of it."

"What? Why?"

"Because I say so." He threw the blue scarf at her. "Now shut up and put it on."

"No, you're not being fair. Gaara-sama has nothing to do with our actual situation; you're just mad and want to take it out on someone else."

"You know what's not fair? It's not fair that you trust him over me!"

"But I don't…"

"You think it's fair, or easy, to see you two kissing at the front door? Well, its' not! It's way beyond disgusting!"

"All right, that's enough!" There was a limit as to how much Sadako could take. "Stop now, just stop!"

But Sasuke was just beginning. He had an arsenal full of sharp words to throw at her.

"It took you weeks to tell **me **about that arm, but you told **him **right away. You're cold and distant to me most of the time but you act all cute and smiley around him. Like he was better than me! Like you preferred him over me!" He was talking about 10 words per second, bitter words rushing out of his mouth and tripping into one another. "I swear I'll never understand what you saw in him that attracted you. He's nothing but a schizophrenic, red-haired, eyeliner-wearing DRAG QUEEN!"

"Sasuke, that's enough!" Sadako could take no more.

"I told you not to call me that!"

"Why not? It's your name after all, Sasuke"

"Shut up!"

"Quit telling me to shut up! If you haven't noticed, the only one who should stop talking is you!" Her face was red from anger. "The only reason you're mad is because I disobeyed you! All you do is order me around and expect me to say 'Yes, onii-san' to everything but I've had it!"

"Well, if you had a little common sense in that empty head of yours, maybe I wouldn't have to do it!" Sasuke angrily rolled the white cloth into a ball and tossed it into the nearest fire.

Sadako watched in dismay as it quickly caught on fire.

"Why did you do that? Why are you such a **jerk**?"

"Why are you such a **brat**? I told you, I warned you to stay away from Gaara and the first thing you do is go and make out with him!" He sneered at her. "You disgust me…"

Sadako's eyes went wide but she didn't shout back. Those last words had hurt her, Sasuke could see it reflected on her pale face, but he didn't care.

What he didn't know was that there were three reasons for Sadako's silence. One, she was disappointed of him. Two, she didn't know what Sasuke meant with "make out". And the third and most important, was that she was readying a good comeback.

"You know what?" She asked calmly. "I think I know why you're so mad. You're not jealous of him, you're jealous of us."

"What?"

"You're jealous because we can be together, while you can't gather enough courage to tell the girl you like how you feel about her."

"That has nothing to do with this."

"You started it, so don't back off on me now."

"Now is not the time." He was starting to panic. If Sadako mentioned that he liked Hinata, everyone (except for her) would find out.

"We can talk about my private life in public but not yours? Why is that so?"

"It's different."

"No, it's not. Go on, tell her."

Sasuke stood silent.

"You're right." She smiled. "We should wait for her to wake…"

"Shut up! Sadako, SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"It's horrible, isn't it? When everyone finds out about your secrets. You won't share yours, but I have to share mine? What makes you better than me? Why should I follow your orders?"

"I'm older, that's why!"

"We're twins, you idiot!" She reminded him. "Neither of us is older that the other!"

"Must I remind you that if it wasn't for me you would have been long dead? Must I remind you how hopeless and pitiful you used to be?"

"No, there's no need to remind me. The memory of my worthlessness is what makes me want to change. You, on the other hand, wished that I was still that girl so you could feel superior."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are. I don't feel superior, I **am **superior."

"You're not better than me, Sasuke!"

"So, you think you're better?"

"I didn't say that."

"C'mon, you two." Sakura tried to stop the verbal fight before it got uglier. "You're both good, there's no need to fight over it."

As always, he ignored her.

"You're not all that." He laughed. "At least **I **am an Uchiha. You're nothing but a cast away! You're not even worthy of your last name!"

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sadako stared coldly at him.

"Uchiha? Sounds familiar…" She scratched her head. "Oh, I remember. The Uchiha clan, right? The one you failed to protect."

The cave was filled with shocked gasps. Had Sadako really just said that? Yes, she had.

Sasuke stood there staring at her open-mouthed. It was as if he'd been struck by her fist rather than her words.

"You didn't…" He looked at the girl standing before him, she no longer resembled his sister. His sister was nice and beautiful, this girl seemed mean and ugly. Everything about her disgusted him, from the ice mark to the fake sadness in her eyes. What a joke! What a cheap imitation of Sadako she was. "You little…"

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you feelings?" She asked with fake concern. "Why don't you go home crying to mommy? Oh, that's right. You can't! Because she's dead, Itachi killed her!"

Sasuke angrily raised his hand in the air. He wanted to hurt her, to make her shut up!

He was about to strike her when Naruto stepped in between them.

"Whoa, whoa! Sasuke, what are you doing?" He had stopped Sasuke's hand just in time. "She's your sister for God's sake!"

"You stay out of this, idiot!"

"The only idiot here is you. What you were about to do is unforgivable."

"He's right dude. How much courage does it take to hit a girl?" Shikamaru asked. "Only a coward would do it."

Sadako set her hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "But I think it's better if you stay out of this."

"If you say so…" Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand and stepped away from the twins.

"Go on, do it." Sadako challenged her brother. "Unlike you, I'll admit that I went too far and that I do deserve it. So if it makes you fell better, you may hit me as many times as you like, it can't hurt more than it already does."

Sasuke stared hatefully at her. For a second, he was tempted to accept her offer.

"Sasuke-kun, Sadako. Please stop this nonsense already!" Sakura begged.

"Fuck you." Sasuke said to his sister's face, then he turned away and walked to the cave's entrance.

"W-where are you going?" Sadako asked. Her anger was quickly replaced by concern.

"What's it to ya'?" He answered.

"You can't go out there, it's dangerous!"

"Don't act like you cared."

"The enemy might be hiding out there. If you go, not only you, but the whole team will be in danger."

"I don't give a damn."

"Sasuke, stop! Its' a direct order, as the team's leader you **must **obey me!"

"Fuck you." He said coldly, then walked out of the cave.

Sadako stood frozen in place. Sasuke was stubborn, she knew it better than anyone else and there was no power on earth that could possibly convince him of coming back.

"Sasuke…" She said his name, as if it could magically bring him back. "I'm sorry…"

What had she been thinking? Ok, so Sasuke had indirectly called her a slut. And yes, he had reminded her that she was nothing but the Uchiha's rejects but… while a part of her was saying _"Serves him right! Who does he think he is, anyway? No one talks to me like that!" _Her more rational side, the one that for some reason always spoke with Kori's voice was saying _"You went too far. Ignoring him would have been an easier way to end it." _

"Ah, don't mind him. He'll be back soon." Naruto shook his head. "I told you he'd throw a bitch fit if he found out."

"He's so dramatic lately…" Sadako's eyes rolled back and her legs bent under her weight.

"Sadako!" Naruto wasn't able to catch her on time. She fell limply to the ground, her black hair covering her face. "Sakura-Chan!"

"I'm coming!" Sakura kneeled next to her.

"What's wrong, is she dead?"

"No, she's got fever. I wonder how long she's been like this." She brushed the hair away from Sadako's face. "What…"

"No way…"

Sadako's ice mark was growing before their eyes. Ti spread over the right side of her face taking over her cheek, the corner of her lips and part of her nose. It finally stopped right under her eye.

"Sakura-chan, is she… is she going to be alright?"

Sakura shook her head.

"I'm not sure, but…" She looked at her sadly. "I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left…"

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**An important and rude message by Ten:**

Like reading this fic? Yes? Well, then how about reviewing it? Vianey's goal is simple: 25 chapters and 100 reviews, is that too much to ask for? So far we have 71 out of the 84 we should have and if we don't hit the 100 before this story ends, Vianey will never write again! Therefore, we (Glacia and I) refuse to upload the next chapter until we have at least 80 reviews, no matter what Vianey says.

For those of you who are too lazy to review… well, you better start…

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Sasuke walked angrily away from the cave. He had absolutely no idea where he was going, but that was of no importance for him.

All he wanted was to get away from Sadako. As far away as possible.

"_The Uchiha clan, right? The one you failed to protect."_

"Shut up!" He shout to no one. "You have no idea…"

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself down.

It didn't work.

Sadako was such a brat! How dared she talk to him like that?!

She was stupid, ignorant and spoiled. She couldn't understand his suffering, no one could.

He kept on waling. He could have stomped, or run, but he was too cool for that.

"Whoa!" His left leg sank knee deep in the snow, making him loose his balance. "Whoa, whoa!"

_Plaf!_

Arms flailing, he fell face first.

"DAMN IT!" He angrily got up and kicked at the snow under his feet like a child in a tantrum. "How can anyone actually live here? This place sucks!"

He had to admit, Sadako didn't have it easy living in such hostile conditions.

Then again, if she had been smart enough to destroy the scroll, none of them would have to be here.

If she weren't such a weakling, father wouldn't have sent her away in the first place.

"_No, please don't! You can't take her away from me!"_

"_Sasuke, stop acting like that! They will train her to be a good kunoichi, that's all!"_

"Why did she come back?" He wondered. "I would be better off without her…"

His mind drifted back to the day Sadako had returned to Konoha.

"_Oi, Sasuke no baka!" Naruto yelled. "There's a girl who wants to see you!"_

"_Sa-Sadako?"_

Seeing Sadako again, being able to old her and knowing that he was not alone… how good it was to have her back!

"Who am I kidding?" he sat down. "I don't care if she drags me to the very bottoms of hell, I'd still follow her. I need her with me, for better or for worse."

Now that he had calmed down, Sasuke could see everything clearly. Sadako was right, he had started up a pointless fight.

It had nothing to do with their actual situation, and if he weren't so stubborn and over protective, it wouldn't have ended as bad as it did.

Sasuke was ashamed of himself for acting the way he had. He'd been a fool before the whole team and a total jerk to Sadako.

He let his anger take over him and completely forgot what had started the battle. It was because the ice mark was growing and Sadako had kept it to herself.

His sister was weak and feverish. Still, he had verbally tacked her until she could take no more.

He had called her a cast away, the Uchiha's rejects, but that wasn't the worse part.

"Oh, shit!" It suddenly came back at him. "Did I… did I raise my hand at her?"

Sasuke couldn't believe it. He, who was supposed to protect her, had actually tried to hurt her.

"No, no, no!" He shook his head. "I couldn't have! I would NEVER!"

But he had, the memory remained unchanged.

"If it weren't for Naruto, I would have…"

Sasuke jumped to his feet. "What is **wrong** with me?! I've got to talk to her, I need to tell her how sorry I am, I… I…" He looked around. "Where the fuck am I?"

He turned this way and that. White, everything was white. The blanket of snow spread before him as far as he could see.

Anywhere he looked, the scenario was all the same. Sasuke stood in the middle of nowhere, completely lost.

"No problem, I'll just follow my footprints and they'll lead me back to the cave."

That was probably the smartest thing he'd done all day.

Halfway back, however, the prints stopped.

The strong wind and snow had completely erased them.

He looked around again, the cave was nowhere to be seen.

"Which way now?" He asked himself.

A strange sensation made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up on end. More out of reflex than evasiveness, he ducked just as the senbon went flying over his head.

"Who's there?" He turned around.

A sound ninja stared back at him, he had spiky blue hair and a cruel smile.

The blue hair… this man matched Sadako's description.

Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan.

This man was dangerous, but not only that. He was the one responsible for Sadako's suffering.

"Sharingan?" The man asked. "I remember you, Kori's apprentice. Funny, I could've sworn you were a girl."

Sasuke angrily flung himself at him. He was determined to claim vengeance in Sadako's name.

The man disappeared before his very eyes. Even with the Sharingan, he was unable to track his movements.

"Too slow!"

Blood sprayed out of Sasuke's nose as it received a direct hit.

"Gaaah!" He fell back holding his nose. It wasn't broken, but blood was gushing out of it.

The pain made him close his eyes for a moment, so he had no time to copy the hand-signs.

"It's over." The man launched his Jutsu.

"Onii-san!"

Sadako jumped between him and Sasuke, the Jutsu hit her full on the chest.

She winced in pain as her skin, from shoulders to hips, turned to ice.

Not fair…

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_Vianey:__ That certainly wasn't fair._

_Ten: What? Sadako being hit again?_

_Vianey: No, the message you sent to the readers._

_Ten: It's the truth. If they don't answer to you, they'll answer to me, even if I have to be sharp on them._

_Glacia: The one who turned out to have a sharp tongue was Sadako, I never expected her to talk like that._

_Vianey: Well, she's Sasuke's sister after all._

_Ten: What are you talking about Glacia? You wrote that part!_

_Glacia: Still, it was unexpected._

_Vianey: Once again, sorry for the delay and the grammar mistakes._

_Oh, and Ten's message too._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	22. 22 Vengeance Deceive Full Mistress

_*Sigh* 85 reviews, I can hardly believe it. Thank you so much for reviewing, we seriously can't thank you enough. All I have to say is that we love you guys, we really do._

_Sorry if it took so long to upload, we just wanted to make this chapter worthy of reading. We were also busy uploading our new story "No Matter What." Which we wrote with Alita's help._

_It's there if you want to read it. If you don't like it you can totally flame us, Alita takes the blame XD. It's a joke Alita (We love you by the way)._

**Chapter Twenty****-Two**

**Vengeance Deceive**** Full Mistress**

"Sadako!" Sasuke stared at her open mouthed. She was panting frantically and shivering from head to toe. The dark rings under her eyes had deepened and part of her ghost-pale face was now half frozen.

"Sasuke..." She looked at him, her red eyes full of concern. "Are you all right?"

"Sadako, you're so stupid!" He spat angrily. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm selfish." She answered. "I won't share my pain with you."

"Guess I was right, after all." The man smiled looking at the ice mark on Sadako's face. "Kori's apprentice is a girl."

"Shut up!" Sadako shout. "Don't say her name like you knew her!"

"But I **do** know her. Better than you did."

"What?"

"You don't know who I am, do you?" He shook his head. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Kirimaru. Aoi Kirimaru."

"A-Aoi?" Sadako's eyes widened in surprise. "Part of the Aoi clan... the White Tigers..."

"Aoi Kori, your beloved sensei, she was my younger sister."

Sadako's head was spinning, this was too much to take in all of a sudden.

"Your sister..." This man could ** not **be Kori's brother. "But... why..."

"Why did I kill them? The Aoi clan meant nothing to me, really. I was merely born in that clan, but never was a part of it."

"What do you mean?"

"My sister Kiri and I, we're cast away, rejected by our own clan. Being twins we were born frail, with little physical strength or none at all and barely enough chakra for low leveled Jutsu. The Aoi clan, as you well know, specializes in ice Jutsu, which takes great amounts of chakra. Needles to say, we failed every attempt in taijutsu or ninjutsu, therefore we were useless. Our parents gave up on us, we were nothing but shame."

He made a pause, then continued.

"And then, when we were nine years old, Kori was born. A perfect replacement for us. We were shipped away before we even got a look at her, which was actually a good thing, or I might have thought twice before killing her."

"That makes no sense." Sadako shook her head. "I understand how you feel, they threw you away without a second thought, but a massacre is not a solution. If you really wanted to prove them wrong, then you should have improved, become stronger and then come back and show them how wrong they were. But what you did... was it really necessary to kill them all?"

"It was." He smiled cruelly. "Like you said, we had to prove them wrong and what better way than to destroy them! We might have no talent for fighters, but we were born leaders, something they could have noticed, had they given us the chance. It took us years to build up an army strong enough to stand up to the White Tigers, but we managed to do it. As for the results, well... you've witnessed it yourselves. We vowed revenge on them, on this whole land, and we've achieved it!"

"How about the Land of Waves?" Sasuke asked. "They've got nothing to do with this."

"You mean the invasion? Leave me out of that one; it's the Sound Ninja who want it."

"If it's not your fight, then why are you attacking us?"

"Think about it, Shinobi of Konoha. This is our land now, we have complete domain over it. All of you are intruders here."

"That's your reason?"

"At least it was at the beginning. Right now, it's something personal." He frowned. "Kiri, my twin sister, was murdered by the beast that fights beside you. We've suffered so much to get here, yet her life has ended. I will never forgive that! I will kill all of you to show her that our effort wasn't in vain. Our vengeance will be completed!"

"You're sick." Sadako said through gritted teeth. "Hiding behind your sister's pain to commit such senseless actions. You remind me of him..."

Sasuke knew that she was talking about Itachi.

"He did not kill the Uchiha for what they did to me. He wasn't even thinking of me, all he wanted was power. Same thing with you, if you were really doing this for her, she wouldn't be dead now."

"You're wrong! All I did was for her, because I loved her! She's dead because of you and part of me has died with her. But this isn't over yet, you're twins too, so I'll kill your brother and leave you to suffer. You'll suffer for as long as it takes the ice mark to consume you!"

"You think you've lost something?" Sadako asked. "You're not the only one. I've lost everything, over and over again."

"We've gone through so much and learned to live with it." Sasuke added. "Your pain is not unknown to us."

"But he's my brother." She said.

"She's everything I've got left." He said.

"And I won't let you hurt him!"

"I will kill you if you touch her!"

"You couldn't stop me back then, what makes you think this time will be different?"

"Believe me, it will be different." She said. "This time, it's personal."

Kirimaru was the first one to attack, sending a shower of senbon to the Uchiha twins.

Sasuke jumped away. Sadako didn't even try to avoid them, with loud _'clicks' _they bounced off her frozen skin.

"Sub-zero no Ju..."

"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke used his Jutsu before Sadako could use hers. It wasn't enough to defeat Kirimaru, however.

"Why did you do that?" She asked angrily.

"Save your chakra, we can't allow the curse to spread any further!"

"And **now** he cares..." She mumbled, pulling out some shurikens from her pouch.

"Katon, Housenka!"

Kirimaru avoided Sasuke's attack but insisted on using senbon instead of jutsu.

Sadako remembered the last time they'd fought. Kirimaru had retreated right after using that Jutsu.

"I get it!" She smiled. "You can only use that jutsu once, right?"

Kirimaru turned his attention to Sadako.

"I should have known. You're nothing but a cast away, after all." She laughed. "Aoi Kirimaru, what a joke! You're not even worthy of your last name."

"Shut up!" He spat.

"You don't even have enough chakra to defeat us, no wonder the White Tigers rejected you."

"You bitch! I'll cut off your tongue and stick it down your throat!"

A deafening sound, similar to a thousand chirping birds, filled the air.

"Damn!" He'd been too focused on Sadako that he'd forgotten about Sasuke.

"Chidori!" Sasuke aimed for Kirimaru's chest... and failed. Even without Jutsu, he was still too fast.

He did, however, manage to get his shoulder. Just a flesh wound, but a wound after all.

"Onii-san!" The word was like music to Sasuke's ears. "Catch!"

She tossed him a giant shuriken. Sasuke caught it, not sure what to do.

He looked at her questioningly, but just a glimpse of her red eyes was enough answer.

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_Just a quick subliminal message, let me know if I misspelled something in here or if __some words aren't where they should be._

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The boy was now holding a giant shuriken. No problem, he could easily avoid that one. Kirimaru was only worried about the boy's mastery of Ninjutsu.

Fire and lightning? And odd combination.

And a strong one, too...

The girl, on the other hand, had turned out to be completely useless. Talking was the only thing she'd done so far but he couldn't blame her, she couldn't be jumping around while carrying all that weight.

Now, instead of using the shuriken herself, she'd passed it on to her brother.

Kirimaru turned his attention on the boy, the only real treat around.

Or so he thought.

Faster than it should have been possible for her, the Uchiha girl blocked his path.

"You couldn't stop me back then, you won't stop me now!"

"This time is different." She widened her eyes. "Or at least, I am."

Kirimaru stared at her, wondering what she meant. There was something strange about this girl.

"What the..." Her pupils... what was wrong with them? They seemed to be spinning inside their red irises.

Was that possible, even with the Sharingan?

She blinked and her eyes stopped. The world, too, seemed to have stopped with them.

She stood there motionless and so did her brother. They seemed to be frozen in time, the word static like a painting.

The background then began to melt down. Snow, sky and even the Uchiha boy fell on thick drops to the ground, which was now a multicolor puddle.

Everything was dark now but he could still see, as clear as daylight, the puddle at his feet and the Uchiha girl, who hadn't disappeared but remained motionless like a statue.

"Genjutsu? Oh, please." He shook his head. "Genjutsu, kai!"

He expected everything to go back to normal, but the Genjutsu remained.

"Genjutsu, kai!" He tried again.

The illusion didn't disappear.

"Kai!"

Nothing.

"Kai!"

She was still there, staring at him with those hideous red eyes of hers.

Something must be wrong here. Even if he was now unable of using any kind of jutsu, he should be able to break through a low leveled Genjutsu such as this one.

"You won't escape that easy." She finally said.

"What?"

She held a fiendish look on her face. Just a look at her twisted smile sent a shiver down his spine.

The half-frozen face, the pale skin, the black hair and those sunken red eyes. What at first had seemed pitiful now appeared to be something terrifying. She was the same girl from an instant before, yet she made him shrink in fear by just looking at him.

Kirimaru stood there for an instant, frozen in terror.

'_What am I so afraid of?'_ He asked himself. _'She's more dead than alive, she's no treat for me.'_

'_Crack'_

A sound like shattering glass brought him out of his thoughts.

Her face... the frozen parts of her face were cracking and falling off, as if the ice mark were no more than a mask.

"You... no, you can't do that! You can't!"

"Can't I?" She asked, her face now completely normal. Not a trace of the ice mark was left.

Kirimaru knew that this was impossible, even if he'd seen it with his own eyes.

It was his technique, **his** only, one of the most powerful that existed. Living torture, it was, for it consumed it's host without them being able to stop it. Only he could use this technique, and not even he was able to reverse it.

How as it possible, then, that this girl could break out of it so easily?

"Don't think you can fool me, Uchiha girl. This is just an illusion, I know it!"

"Sadako." She said. "Don't call me an Uchiha."

"It gives the same who you are, you won't get me with this trick!" He tried to move, but his feet were his legs were fixed in place. "What?"

Kirimaru looked down, his reflex stared back at him. He recognized his eyes in it, but I4 face wasn't quite the same.

"K-Kiri?" His sister stared back at him with accusing eyes. Kirimaru tried to move again but it was no use, his feet were stuck in the stagnant, multicolor puddle. "Please... leave her out of this."

"Why should I?"

"Please." He looked down again, there was a hole going right through her chest. "Stop it!"

"Afraid already? I haven't even started."

"Then I'll stop it myself! Genjutsu, ka..." He stopped, choking in his own blood.

The multicolor substance had solidified into a spike that went through his stomach. Even if it was an illusion, the pain felt much too real.

He looked down. Kiri held the same look of pain in I face, for she was his reflection now and whatever happened to him would happen to her as well.

"This is not real!" He closed his eyes, willing the pain away. "It's all a trick, this is not real!"

"Real?" Sadako asked. Her eyes were cold, completely indifferent to his pain. "Reality here is what I want it to be, if I choose it is real, then it **will **be real."

She raised her hand and another spike rose from the ground, this one going through his chest and perforating his left lung.

Once again, Kirimaru choked in his own blood.

Sadako narrowed her eyes at the sight of his blood. Her face was expressionless, but he could tell that she was enjoying his suffering.

Another spike rose from the ground, closely followed by another, then another. It went on like that until almost every vital spot had been pierced through.

His sight was fading the world was sinking into darkness. Every single breath he took was martyrdom.

Kirimaru's body was almost unrecognizable; all that was left now was an empaled pile of human gore and broken bones.

He looked at her. She frowned.

"Just end it." He said, blood gurgling out of his throat with every word. "Just kill me already."

"No." She replied simply. "You won't die. Not just yet."

He closed his eyes. It really made no difference whether she decided to finish him up or not, he had almost bled out completely and his organs would soon stop, if they hadn't already.

So he waited for Death's cold embrace. In silence he waited for the end. And waited...

And waited...

"Didn't you hear me?" She asked coldly. "I just told you, you won't die yet."

"What... you... you mean..."

The remains of his body shivered at her words. Now he understood why he was still alive. It was because **she** wanted him alive.

If it was true, she could go on with this forever. She would continue to play with him, perhaps for all eternity and he would be damned to suffer all of her tortures and sick mind games.

He would be trapped in her "reality" forever.

Unable to move, unable to fight back.

Unable to die...

"Heh... I-heh..." A sinister smile pulled at the corner of her lips and her dark giggles turned into an insane laughter. "So you finally figured it out, didn't you?" She paused again to laugh some more. "These eyes are awesome! I didn't know they could be used for this kind of things, guess I should tell Itachi for telling me."

The spikes disappeared and Kirimaru fell limply to the ground. The pain also disappeared, his body had returned to normal.

She had healed him back, only for the sick satisfaction of destroying him again...

Kirimaru laid motionless there.

Why fight? She would always win in the end.

Why run? There was no place to hide.

Nowhere to go...

"No matter." He said, speaking to himself rather than to her. "I am satisfied of having defeated them in their own castle."

"Was it worth it?" She asked.

"It was... We got our vengeance."

"Vengeance?"

"It's what you want, isn't it? Vengeance?"

"Yes..." She clenched her fists. "Speaking of which..."

Kirimaru cried out in pain as his right arm jerked itself back and snapped, the bone coming out through his skin. He twisted on the ground like a wounded animal, pain taking over his senses.

"That's for Neji's arm."

His ankle gave a sharp turn, dislocating itself from the rest of the body.

"That's for Ino's ankle."

One by one, the fingers on both of his hands bent themselves back. It was a symphony of cracking bones and cries of agony.

"That's for Shikamaru's hand." She gritted her teeth. "And this..."

Sadako pressed her foot against his throat, crushing his windpipe. His eyes bulged out as he gasped for breath, his lungs screeching for air.

"This is for Hinata almost drowning!"

She retrieved her foot just as he was about to swoon and stepped away from him.

Once again, his bones re-arranged themselves and snapped back in place.

How long would she keep this up? What other way of torture would she try now?

Would this ever end?

Slowly, he forced himself to his feet. There had to be a way out, and he was going to find it.

No matter how long it took...

He looked at her, and his breath caught.

She stared at him, her horrible red eyes unblinking.

But what truly terrified him, what made his blood chill and his heat shrink by an excess of horror, was that she was not alone.

Beside her stood Aoi Kori, a katana glistening on her hand.

Behind them, the White Tigers. Glaring masks set over their dead faces.

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The man fell to his knees, his eyes lifeless and hazy.

Sasuke knew that look. He knew it all too well.

Horror, despair, hopelessness and in the end, a total lack of self awareness. A completely blank and vacant world inside your head, away from reason or any trace of sanity.

If they were to end this, the time was now.

Sasuke used the giant shuriken, it sliced cleanly through Kirimaru's neck.

The head rolled off his shoulders and his body fell limply.

It was over, at last.

"We did it…" Sasuke breathed out. "Sadako we…"

"Aaaahhh!" Holding her head, Sadako fell to her knees.

"Sadako!" Sasuke ran to her. "Sadako, what's wrong?"

"No, stop!" She shrieked in pain. "Make it stop!"

She hid her face between her hands. Whatever was happening to her now, it sounded painful.

"Let me see." He tried to pull her hands away.

"No." She begged. "You can't. Please, no."

"Let me see." Sasuke asked again, this time in a soft and comforting voice. "Please Sadako, let me see."

He retrieved her hands gently. What he saw then, was something straight out of a nightmare.

"No…"

Sadako's face, the ice mark spread through all of the right side and covered her entire forehead.

Sasuke looked into her eyes. The left one, with the Mangenkyo still activated, was bleeding. The right one, completely frozen.

He could see trough her eye.

Could see right trough her…

Sasuke tried to remain calm, he tried. But Sadako's appearance had left him breathless. He felt hollow, empty inside, as if a big hole had been opened inside his chest, where his heart used to be.

He knew he had to be brave, for Sadako, but he couldn't help it. His shoulders shook and hot tears escaped his dark eyes.

"Onii-san…" Sadako lowered her head and, ignoring her own advice, she cried.

Sasuke pulled her into a tight embrace. She felt weak, fragile. Almost as if she were going to break.

Her forehead was cold against his cheek but he didn't complain. He didn't care.

He had Sadako in his arms, her hands clinging to his jacket. What more could he ask for? What could he possibly want?

More time, perhaps. And the opportunity to right his wrongs.

"I'm sorry." He said, running his hand down her cold hair. "I'm so sorry. If I weren't such and idiot, if I hadn't come here…."

"It's not your fault." She said weakly. "It was meant to happen, sooner or later."

They stayed there for a while, holding each other and crying out loud like little children. Snow flakes clinging to their hair and clothes tear freezing on their cold cheeks.

Between gulping sobs, Sasuke apologized to his sister again and again. It was meant to make her feel better, but it only made her cry harder.

They cried until they ran out of tears. Until they were too tired to keep on going.

Sasuke's eyes were dry, but his heart still wept. Would he really loose her now, after they'd come this far?

"It really… wasn't worth it, was it?" Sadako asked, her voice thin and muffled. "Us coming this far and all this crap about vengeance."

"But we killed him. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It's true, I got to kill him again and again." Sasuke could hear her giggling, even if her eyes were vacant of expression. "I did it and I enjoyed it. In fact I wanted to torture him so badly that his hair would come out of his ears." She stopped giggling now. "But now that it's over, I realize I got nothing yet I've lost so much."

She was right. They'd killed Kirimaru, but what was next? Killing him didn't bring the White Tigers back nor stopped the Sound Ninja invasion. It wouldn't make them happy and it wouldn't make them magically win the battle.

Vengeance is a deceive full mistress. She lures you with her charm and takes over your senses until you can think of nothing else but her and how to achieve her.

But they're all empty promises, because after her, sadly, there is nothing.

Vengeance will solve nothing and won't fix anything. She won't right wrongs or rewrite history. She won't bring the dead back to life.

Lady vengeance, the one Sasuke had been after for as long as he could remember, had turned out to be but an illusion. A fake.

He was glad to have realized it now, before he had killed his own brother in exchange of such empty a promise. Killing Itachi wouldn't bring his clan back or alter what had been done.

Vengeance would not, **could not** make the clock go backwards and change their past.

Unfortunately, vengeance could not get Sadako back to normal.

"You're right." He answered. "It wasn't worth it."

It was cold, extremely so. Sasuke's nose felt stiff and his fingers were numb. Even his eyelashes felt frozen.

"Sadako." He stood up and offered his hand to help her to her feet. "Let's go back to the cave, ok?"

"Ok." She took his hand.

Sasuke tried to pull her up but she didn't move an inch.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I can't…" She said, her lips quivering. "I can't get up, my legs won't move."

Once again, his heart sank.

'_Don't you dare cry.' _He ordered himself.

"Yeah… my legs are kind of numb too, you know. But it's normal since we've been sitting here for so long."

"You're right." She said, even thou they both knew this was serious.

"Well if you can't walk, I guess I have no other choice." He sighed with fake annoyance. "Get on my back, I'll carry you."

"What? No, no way."

"What's the matter?"

"I might be too heavy." She warned.

"Well, I might not be a giant tiger like Yukiko but I'm strong enough to carry you."

"But…"

"No buts." Sasuke wrapped her hands around his neck and secured her legs at his sides. "I didn't ask if you wanted me to carry you, I said I would carry you."

He stood up with Sadako on his back, his feet sinking under her weight. His sister was heavier than he expected. Way heavier.

But he wasn't going to complain now, was he?

"You do know the way bock, don't you?" He asked.

"Yeah." She point to the left with her black gloved hand. "Over there."

Sasuke walked on the direction she had indicated. It was harder than usual because his feet kept sinking and his back was aching like hell.

Still, it was a small price to pay for his sister's well being.

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_Ten: Wow, that was so cool. Sadako was like "This time it's different" and then she used her Mengenkyoness to kick his but!_

_Glacia: Mangenkyoness is not a real word Ten._

_Ten: *Sadako stile* Reality here is what I want it to be._

_Glacia: Oh, do shut up._

_Vianey: Hey, quit it you two. We're here to thank the readers who reviewed, not to fight._

_Ten: Ok, sorry._

_Vianey: Here goes._

_Thanks a lot.- __**Ajanime, xTanshokkou, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, frozen illusions, A Hidden Saint and Sinner, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki, Lady Malignant, Twixdaman, justanothergaarafangurl, redfox-akatsuki, Imaybesomeone, sakura300000**__, __**PokeMariah, Alita 'n' Charlie, imouto12345, Sasuke's pal, Yoli16 and Ninja99.**_

_Also a thanks to anonymous reviewers.- __**Yays! **__**(aka HEY YO-YO), anonymouscat, Girlnaruto99, LuLuSi227, Random Person, Len and fan .**_

_My English teacher who left a __**Spanish**__ review on chapter one._

_And special thanks to.- __**xTanshokkou, frozen illusions, Lady Malignant, sakura300000, Alita 'n Charlie, Sasuke's Pal and redfox-akatsuki.**_

_Thank you so much. Please don't forget to review this one._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	23. 23 The One That Doesn't Belong To Konoh

_First of all we will like to add a __**great**__ apology for last chapter's title, we completely misspelled it. It was supposed to be "Deceitful" not "Deceive full". We honestly can't tell you how ashamed we are for that mistake._

_Thank you so much __**frozen illusions **__for telling us, we offer you a public apology. _

_Back to this chapter, it was supposed to be the antepenultimate one, but it was too damned long so we divided it into two parts (yet again). Hope you enjoy it._

_Oh, there's a new poll in our profile. Please answer it!_

**Chapter Twenty****-Three**

**The One That Doesn't Belong To Konoha**

"How much farther?" Sasuke asked.

He'd been carrying Sadako for a while now and his back felt like it had realigned itself under her weight.

"We're almost there." She answered. "I'm too heavy, am I not?"

"No, of course not." He shook his head, even if his face was red from the effort. "Maybe a little, yes. But it's all right, I don't mind."

"I can get off if you want to."

"Really? And how are you to walk back?"

"I… I, um…"

"Forget it. I don't mind carrying you, really." Sasuke was trying his best not to show how heavy she really was. "Remember when we were little, Sadako? I used to carry you on my back all the time, didn't I?"

"Yes, I remember." She smiled faintly. "Itachi too, he used to carry us on his back. Sometimes he even carried both of us at the same time."

"No, no. you've got it all wrong." Sasuke decided to forget the hate he felt towards his brother, even if just for a moment. "He held you in his arms while I was on his back clinging like a monkey."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Sasuke laughed. "What, you don't remember?"

"No…"

Sasuke's smile faded. His dark eyes clouded up again.

"But… I remember it was warm." She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "Just like your back now, it's so… warm."

She heaved out a deep sigh, her breath was cold against her neck.

"Are you feeling all right now?" He asked concerned. Even if it was freezing out there, there was no reason for her breath to be so icy. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

Silence…

"Sadako?"

"I'm tired." Was the only reply.

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"You idiot, look what you've done!" Naruto said frantically as he carried the sleeping Sadako off Sasuke's back.

"What? You think I did this to her?" Sasuke asked indignantly.

"No." Naruto carefully laid Sadako down on the pile of blankets she used as bed. "But if you had listened to her instead of being such a drama queen, this wouldn't have happened!"

"I didn't ask her to come looking for me!"

"And what did you expect her to do? She's not a heartless bastard like you are, she was worried sick about you! Had you seen the look on her face then, you would understand!"

"How about you? You could've at least tried to stop her!"

"Yeah, easy for you to say but she just dashed out and set Yukiko on the entrance, telling him not to let anyone out."

"We did try to go after her, because her health was unstable." Sakura said. "But the tiger kept knocking us back. He destroyed Naruto's clones in a single swipe, all six of them."

"So don't you come here saying it's OUR fault, Sasuke. Can't you just admit that you screwed up?" Naruto asked. "Even for once?"

Sasuke stared at them for a moment, then said something that Naruto and Sakura, even in their wildest dreams, had never expected to hear.

"It **is** my fault." He said sadly. "I'm sorry."

The place went silent, everyone seemed to be equally astounded.

"Sakura, would you do me a favor?" Sasuke asked.

"S-sure…"

"Could you please check on her… and see if there's anything you can do?"

"That much I can do." She clapped her hands loudly to draw everyone's attention. "Ok everybody, I need you all to step outside for a while! Not you Hinata, you can stay!"

Hinata, who was clumsily struggling to her feet, sat down a gain and wrapped the blankets tighter around herself.

Despite the cold, everyone made their way to the exit.

"You too, Sasuke-kun." She told him, noticing Sasuke hadn't moved an inch.

"What? But… I'm her brother."

"It doesn't matter, please get out."

"But…"

"OUT!" Sakura ordered.

"Fine!" Sasuke walked out dejectedly.

Sakura now kneeled next to Sadako and tried to wake her up.

"Sadako?" She tried moving her a bit. "Sadako, please wake up."

"Huummmn." Sadako moaned. It seemed to take a lot of effort for her to open her eyes.

"Sadako." Sakura tried again. "Wake up."

She finally opened her eyes.

Sakura shivered. How was it possible that she could still open and close her frozen lid? It was made of ice, for God's sake! It was supposed to be impossible.

Sadako looked blankly at her, or it could be that her eyes couldn't show much emotion now.

"We made it back." She said lowly.

"Could you please sit down?" Sakura asked.

Sadako forced herself onto a sitting position, her eyes downcast all the while.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"What?" She frowned slightly.

"Your name." Sakura asked again. "Who are you?"

"Sadako…" Her voice was frail and shaky.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Haruno Sakura…"

"Do you know who she is?" She point at Hinata.

"Hyuuga Hinata…"

"Good." Sakura smiled and nodded.

No brain damage so far, it seemed. But she just looked so… vacant.

She held her finger up before Sadako's face.

"Try following my finger with your eyes now." She moved the finger left and right, Sadako followed it perfectly.

It was a bit creepy how the frozen eye moved from side to side. It was even creepier being able to see right trough it.

Sakura held Sadako's right arm, it was cold and heavy. She then made Sadako open and close her hand, which she did without trouble.

How could she do that, when her limbs were made of ice? How could she still move and focus chakra when everything.- muscles, bone, tissue… absolutely everything was entirely frozen?

Upon further inspection, Sakura found out that the only parts in Sadako's body that were still made of flesh were both her legs up to the knees and that small portion of her face.

Ironical how Sadako had always warned her about frozen toes and now it was the only part of her body that wasn't frozen.

But no matter how funny that irony could've been, no matter how much she disliked Sadako, Sakura certainly didn't feel like laughing.

She felt sorry for Sadako, who was slowly dying. And for Sasuke, who could do nothing but observe as his sister was consumed by her curse.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" Sakura asked. "Do you feel any pain now?"

"Not now, no." Sadako answered. "I just feel so… extremely… tired…" She fought to keep her eyes open but it was really hard.

"It's okay, you can go back to sleep now." Sakura helped her lay down again, she fell asleep instantly.

Even if her body was still functionally, Sadako's movements seemed slow and rigid. As the ice mark spread over her body it got stiffer and heavier, so it was normal for her to be so tired since her insides were frozen too and obviously working at a slower rate.

Still, the word "miracle" was the only one that could possibly explain why she was still alive.

There was no pulse on her, no body warmth, nothing! She was on the verge of turning into an ice statue. Alive by will alone, it seemed.

Yet still she lived, clinging to life as hard as she could even if her hands, sadly, were about to let go.

There was no turning back now, nothing that could be done. Anything they tried could not change the outcome. The clock was ticking and, for Sadako, it was about to strike midnight.

Tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks. What was she to do now? How was she to tell Sasuke that his sister was dying? That there was nothing to be done?

Would he believe her, when she told him his twin would die in a matter of hours because there was no possible cure for her? That Sadako's condition defied every single thing she'd learned about medicine?

Sakura began crying even harder. All her training, all her hard work… what good was it, if she couldn't even save a teammate?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sadako woke up after what felt like hours.

The first thing she saw was Sasuke, his sad eyes looking at her as if they hadn't seen each other in ages. She was sitting on his lap (thou she didn't remember how she got there), her hand on his shoulder and her head resting against his chest. He was gently stroking her hair, which now had some frozen patches near the crown.

It was so good to be there, so comforting.

If only she could feel his arm around her waist and the warmth of his chest.

"Hey." He said, a shaky smile on his face.

"Onii-san…"

Sasuke flinched at the word, his features twisting in grief for just a second.

"How are you feeling?" He tried his best to keep a straight face.

"Stiff." She admitted.

Slowly, she got off his legs and onto her knees. Her body was heavier than ever and almost reluctant to move.

"Wait, Sakura said…" Sasuke made a pause to prevent his voice form quivering. "Sakura aid you shouldn't move around too much."

"Really?" Sadako looked around at the grief stricken faces of her teammates. "That's not the only thing she said, did she?"

Some looked away from her, others like Naruto clenched their fists in frustration. Sakura, Ino and Hinata began crying softly. The rest remained silent.

"You know it already, as well as I know." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry I got you all into this. I'm sorry I let you down."

"What do you mean let us down?" Naruto jumped to his feet. "This isn't over yet! We can still win, right?"

So much hope in his eyes. Despite all they'd been through, he still believed in victory.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. There's just no way we can win."

"Then… what then?" Naruto asked. "You're saying our effort was in vain? After all we've been through and fought for, we just can't win? We're going down just like that?"

"We're not going down, I…"

She was cut off short by Hinata, who asked the thing everyone else was afraid to ask.

"Are we not going home, then?"

Home…

That word encouraged Sadako's decision. She knew what she must do now, for the sake of the team.

The dragon's head flashed briefly inside her head.

"Yes, yes you are." With great effort, Sadako got to her feet. "I'll get you home no matter what it takes. I promise you'll be safe, all of you."

"You mean all of us." Sasuke corrected. "You're coming too, aren't you?"

Sadako looked at him. Had he not realized it yet?

Hadn't any of them realized.

"I'm not going back."

"Don't say that!" Sasuke held her face between his hands. "There must be a cure, something that can be done! Something…"

"That's not it." She pushed his hands away. "I'm not going back to Konoha, I've known it all along. Ever since I was assigned this mission, I knew it would be the last one for me."

"Knew it all along?" Shikamaru asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not even you have been able to realize it?"

"Realize what?"

"Why this mission was assigned to me. Why I was forced to come back here."

"Because of the scroll." Tenten said. "You knew where to find it."

"And you were the only one who knew how to survive in this place." Ino added. "You're the only one who has actually been here before."

"Well, we all knew that. I don't see what's so important about it." Shikamaru said annoyed. "Besides, this mission wasn't assigned to you alone, Tsunade assigned it to all of us."

"All of us, yes." Sadako agreed. "Thirteen Shinobi. Eleven Genin, one Chunin and me, with an unknown rank she never cared to ask about. All of us against their army, one that not even Konoha's best ninja had been able to defeat yet. Look at them Shikamaru, do you think we stand a chance against them?"

"We don't, we never did." A chill ran down Shikamaru's back, why hadn't he noticed it before?

They'd been sent to an unknown land to, according to Tsunade's plans, "Stop the enemy on that side and destroy the scroll by any means necessary". Sure it sounded easy and the instructions were simple, but the information was so vague.

Why instead of just destroying the first scroll, had they been sent to the Land of Snow to destroy the second one? It was something completely unnecessary, since destroying one scroll would make the other one useless.

Why was it among their orders to stop the enemy, when no one knew how numerous their army really was? Why send low-ranked ninja without back up or even a decent strategy?

Besides, if they destroyed the scroll as Tsunade had ordered, how were they to go back to Konoha? They would be completely stranded in this frozen hell.

"She knew we wouldn't be able to stop them." He said. "The Hokage has sent us here to die."

"It is treason to say such words." Neji warned him. "These kinds of accusations are preposterous."

"No, think about it." Shikamaru stood up. "We can't defeat their army so our only choice is to destroy the scroll."

"That is also a part of our mission."

"Yeah, and then what? How are we going back?" He could see their eyes widening as they realized the truth that had been right before their noses all along. "If we destroy the scroll the invasion will stop and Konoha will no longer be in danger. After all, our mission was to stop the Sound Ninja, not defeat them. However, by doing so we would be trapped here without any hope of going back. We're nothing but pawns in this game, mere sacrificial pieces! She sent us here because we're easily replaceable!"

"No… no, no wait!" Tenten said. "Not all of your theory makes sense."

"What?"

"Think. If we're sacrificial pieces, why would she send you with us when you're praised as Konoha's greatest strategist?" Tenten explained. "Why send the heirs of the Hyuuga clan or the last Uchiha? They're not easily replaceable."

Shikamaru stood silent, finding no answer for that.

"Because you're not pawns, you're decoys." Sadako answered. "No one would take a suicide mission, so she just sends forth a bunch of ninja knowing that, in the end, they will be incapable of defeating the enemy. After that, they will try to go back home but they just can't desert their mission so one of them will have to stay behind. The Hokage needs all of her ninja back in Konoha, so if she had to sacrifice on of them, which one would it be?"

"The one that doesn't belong to Konoha…" Naruto answered.

"You're saying she did this on purpose?" Sasuke asked. "But how could she possibly know that you would be the one to stay behind? It could be any of us!"

"Because the invasion is my fault, I should have destroyed the scroll when I first used it."

"But you didn't know something like this would happen!"

"Ignorance is **not** an excuse." She said harshly. "Besides, look at me! I will soon be no more than a decoration, it would be completely pointless to go back if I'm dying anyways."

"But…"

"Forget it." She shook her head. "You know there's no cure for this."

"There has to be something!" He said desperately. "We'll find a way, we're just not trying hard enough!"

"Stop it!" She covered her ears. "Please, don't you realize how cruel it is to give me hopes? There's nothing to be done now, nothing!"

"I know but, I just… I just…" He pulled her into a tight embrace, tears running down his cheeks. "I don't want you to die."

_I don't want to die__ either. _Sadako thought. _But it's not up to me to decide that._

She looked at her twin's face, such a beloved face. She wanted to be held by him, to stay in his arms forever but unfortunately, there wasn't much time left.

"I must get you home." She said.

"Just let me hold you for a while longer." He whispered into her ear. "Please, just a little longer."

"I don't want to interrupt." Kiba said, interrupting anyways. "But I smell enemies approaching."

Neji quickly checked with his Byakugan. Sure enough, they were coming.

"What now, Sadako?" Naruto asked.

"Yukiko!" She called.

The tiger walked inside the cave, it seemed almost as sad as Sasuke.

"Yes?"

"Everyone, get on Yukiko's back." Sadako ordered.

"What for?" Ino asked.

"I'm not going down on my own." She said as she walked to Yukiko. "I'm dragging them to hell with me.!

It took both Sasuke and Naruto to get Sadako all the way up to Yukiko's head.

"Where to?" The tiger asked once they had all climbed up.

"Take us to Dragon Pike Mountain." She said.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: __**100 reviews**__ at last! OMG, I'm so happy right now. Thank you all so much for making my dream come true, this is the happiest day of my life!_

_Ten: For this reason, we will extend the thank you notes a little further. _

_Glacia: Just for this chapter, don not be alarmed._

_Thanks a lot.- __**Ajanime, xTanshokkou, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, frozen illusions, A Hidden Saint and Sinner, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki, Lady Malignant, Twixdaman, justanothergaarafangurl, redfox-akatsuki, Imaybesomeone, sakura300000**__, __**PokeMariah, Alita 'n' Emily, imouto12345, Sasuke's pal, Yoli16, Ninja99, scentlesstsubaki, **__**FalLinG-wiTh-FAiT and xOxO Lost Angel OxOx.**_

_Also a thanks to anonymous reviewers.- __** HEY YO-YO, anonymouscat, Girlnaruto99, LuLuSi227, Random Person, Len and fan .**_

_Special thanks to.- __**xTanshokkou, frozen illusions, Lady Malignant, sakura300000, Alita 'n Emily, Sasuke's Pal, redfox-akatsuki, HEY YO-YO, Len and scentlesstsubaki. **__(For those of you who were wondering, special thanks are achieved when reviewing over three times. Although there are exceptions if we really like your reviews or if you PM us a lot.) _

_And now some extra honorary mentions._

_Vianey: To __**xTanshokkou, **__for being our first fan ever. Even if she seems to have abandoned us now._

_Glacia: To __**frozen illusions**__, for being our most loyal reader since she has been with us almost from the beginning of this story. Also for telling us each time we make a mistake. Don't worry, it doesn't bother us, we appreciate it to no end. _

_Ten: To __**Sasuke's Pal**__, for being our pal =)._

_Vianey: To __**Alita 'n Emily**__, for being there when we need her. For giving us the longest most inspiring reviews. For the never ending PMs we send each other. For agreeing to write a story with us and for putting up with my shenanigans. For being a stalker… wait, scratch that last one… For telling us our story is actually worth a damn and for not thinking I'm crazy._

_Glacia: To __**HEY YO-YO**__, for being the only one who read our story "No Matter What" and was also nice enough to review. By the way, since you don't have an account, we couldn't give you a review reply for that one. It seems there's not going to be another chapter for that story since no one has offered to write it with us._

_Ten: But we accept volunteers! Someone… anyone…_

_*silence*_

_Ten: Easy guys, no pushing…_

_PM us if you want to try._

_Ten: To __**redfox-akatsuki, **__for seeing the beauty in even the most distressing of chapters._

_Vianey: And last but not least, to __**scentlesstsubaki**__ for… no reason… she's just nice… _

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	24. 24 Sadako's Last Stand

Well… for those of you who were still hoping Sadako would live… I think the title explains everything quite clearly. What more need we say?

Tragedy, tragedy, drama, drama. **Scentlesstsubaki**, are you reading this?

**Warning: This is NOT the last chapter.**

**Chapter Twenty-****Four**

**Sadako's Last Stand**

"Why are we here?" Sasuke asked, shouting to be heard over the howling wind.

They stood at the top of Dragon Pike Mountain, the cold wind beating mercilessly over them. Bellow them, they could see the army of Sound Ninja approaching. They spread as far as their eyes could see and were heading directly at them.

"Tenten!" Sadako shout. "Spread the scroll out!"

Tenten, who had been carrying the scroll all this time, untied it form her back and spread it on the ground.

They all heaped over it, desperate to get home. Only Sasuke refused to join them.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes." Sadako answered. "Now hurry up, time is running out."

"No." He said. "I'm not going, I won't leave you alone!"

Sasuke had thought about it and he just couldn't leave his twin behind. If the rest wanted to go back to Konoha, that was fine, but they couldn't expect him to abandon Sadako just like that.

He was staying, even if it meant his life would end. After all, what was life without Sadako? How was he to go on without her?

Life would be pointless if he didn't have his other half.

"It's not for you to decide!" She pushed him into the scroll. "It might be over for me but you must go on!"

"How?" He asked. "How am I to live if you're not by my side? My life won't have a meaning if you're not in it!" He clang to her left hand, determined not to let go even if she kicked and pushed him away. "How can I possibly live without you?"

"The same way you did these past ten years." She answered.

"My life has been but misery ever since! I don't want that anymore!"

"Life is what you make of it. Just forget all the bad things and stop clinging to the past, that's not going to solve anything!"

"Hurry up!" Tenten urged. "They're getting closer!"

"Sasuke, let go!" Sadako tried to jerk her hand away but Sasuke's grip was firm. "You must!"

"No, I said no!" He said stubbornly. "We're the Uchiha twins, right? We were born together and we will die together as well! Both of us, together forever!"

"It's not us anymore. From now on, it's just you!" She pulled off her headband and the locket from around her neck. "This is all I've got." She handed them to Sasuke. "I want you to have my locket and… and when you see Gaara, give him my headband and tell him I said 'Yes'."

"Yes?" Sasuke asked. "Yes what?"

"Every time I saw him, there was a question in his eyes that he never dared to ask out loud." She explained. "Tell him my answer is yes."

Something warm dripped from Sasuke's hand. He looked down to find Sadako's frozen hand holding a blood stained kunai.

The pain made his grip loosen for a moment, which Sadako used to kick him away from her. He fell back, landing on the centre of the scroll.

"Hold him down!" She ordered.

Arms reached out for him, keeping him away from Sadako.

"No!" He shout angrily. "Let me go!"

He reached out as far as he could, the tips of his fingers just inches away from her.

"Let go of me!" Tears of rage and frustration escaped his eyes as he clawed desperately at Naruto's arms. "That's my sister!" He kicked and squirmed to break free but it was no use. "Please, that's my little sister!"

"Sasuke, stop it!" Naruto pleaded, hot tears running down his cheeks as well. "We can't leave you here!"

"No Sadako, don't do it! Don't do this to me!" His voice cracked. "Please let me stay with you."

"No Sasuke, you must go home now." She told him. "And if you see Itachi, tell him we'll see in hell."

"Sadako, please!"

"Tenten, take them home!" Sadako ordered.

"Hai!"

"NOOO!" Sasuke shout so hard his throat hurt.

'_I love you' _Sadako mouthed.

Two seconds later, they were standing in the Hokage's office.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sadako observed as the scroll was consumed away by the flames. Ashes on the wind was all that remained.

"That's one down." Yukiko said. "Now what?"

Sadako looked down at the fast approaching sound ninja. They were here for the scroll, that was for sure.

What they didn't know was that she had already destroyed it. Konoha was safe now, but for how long?

In a year or so they would surely reach the land of fire and take over Konoha just like they did with the Snow Village.

"Destroy them." She answered. "Once and for all."

"How are we to do that?"

"It is not **we**, it's me." Sadako corrected. "I'll use the only choice that's left." She turned to the giant sculpture behind her. "I'm waking the Ice Dragon."

_(A/N: Hah! Bet you weren't expecting that one!)_

"That is madness." Yukiko shook its head. "The dragon hasn't awakened in centuries and we don't even know if the legends are true. No one has actually seen it with his own eyes, how can you be sure it will work?"

"I'm not." She admitted. "But I can at least try."

The tiger stared hard at her, then closed its eyes and sighed.

"What do I have to do?" It asked.

"I'm sorry Yukiko, you've done enough." She smiled at the one who had been both her companion and her guardian. That giant white tiger, which had been no bigger than a normal cat when they'd first met. "Thank you for everything."

"Sadako-sama…" It looked at her with those beautiful blue eyes. In silence they begged her to let it stay. "Master, please…"

Yukiko disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Sadako didn't want him to see when it finally ended.

She now stood alone. The ice dragon behind her, Kori's grave right under her feet.

An immeasurable army getting closer by the second.

As she stood there, ready for the last fight of her life…

… Sadako doubted…

Could she really be able to awaken the dragon? If she did, would she be able to control it or would she just let everyone down again? Would Konoha perish because of her ineptitude?

The ground shook as the Sound Ninja's army marched closer. Closer…

Then she realized she was afraid. It was now that it suddenly stroke her at full force, she was dying and there was no going back. There was no cure for death.

And not only was she giving up her life, she was also offering her soul to the Ice Dragon in exchange for power. What could be worse that that? Worse than death and whatever was beyond it?

Far on the distance she was able to see the ruins of what had once been the Snow Village, her home. There was something worse than death, and it was living a life of misery.

She had lost everything, but se wasn't going to let that happen to anyone else.

She was determined to stop them, at any cost.

"I'm a White Tiger, I'm brave." Sadako whipped off a stray tear form her cheeks. "I'm a Snow Kunoichi, there is ice in my veins." She planted her feet firmly on the ground. "I do not fear, I do not cry and I **never **back down!"

Hand signs and blood followed her words.

"E odinev rop aduya." She said.

The ritual had begun.

"Ogeur rop al aduya led osoredop nogard ed oleih, arap rargol al airotciv euq on erdop renetbo rop im amsim." Was it working? It was hard to know, nothing was happening. "Etatnavel ed ut abmut adalegnoc. Atreipsed ed ut oneus onrete y oy… oy erecerforim adiv a oibmac!"

Something happened. A small movement that made the ground shake slightly and icy breath on her face.

It was working! The legends were true, the Ice Dragon could be awakened!

Sadako felt a strong pang of pain in her frozen chest. The pain was so great it made her bend over.

"What?" Another pang and she fell to the ground holding her chest. Her body twitched and quivered against her will, assaulted by a pain so great it made her shriek horribly.

Her cries of agony were drowned by the howling wind so she wasn't even aware if she was shouting out or not.

Why was she feeling so much pain now and… what was that white aura, escaping her body and flying into the dragon's fangs?

A pain even greater took over her as the ice mark began spreading again, taking over the last remnants of her body.

"Sa- Sacrif-fice." She choked out. "It's not my s-soul it wants, it-it's my cha-kra."

The ground shook again as the titanic ice dragon lifted its head. The sound it made as it unravelled its body from the mountain was deafening.

The sound ninja all halted at the sight of such monstrosity.

But the dragon merely stayed there looking at them with rage. It could do nothing more since the ritual wasn't complete yet.

Sadako's pain numbed her senses, she could think of nothing more but the horror she felt. Even death seemed like a good choice now.

There was no strength to keep on going. No will.

_You're just giving up?_She asked herself.

_It hurts so much. _Her body answered. _I just want to die._

_And you will, but not just yet. Think, who are you doing this for?_

Their faces flashed in her mind. All the friends she'd made, those who had treated her so right and made her feel as if she actually belonged.

_Them… I'm fighting for them._

_This isn't about you anymore. If you fail, you'll let them down._

"No, not again." Sadako clenched her teeth and force herself to her feet one last time. "Never again!"

Despite the pain, she tried to remember the last part of the ritual before she completely ran out of chakra.

"Amot ol euq sareiuq y on senodrep al adiv ed eidan."

_Who are you fighting for?_

"_By the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto." He introduced himself. "You should learn it, because some day, I will become Hokage!"_

_Why do you keep on going?_

She saw Ino at her flower shop, such a beautiful place.

"_Pink flowers mean friendship. I hope we can become good friends."_

"Atsalpa sus soseuh y ahcracse us leip."

_Who do you want to Project?_

Hinata's house, the sleep over.

"_Truth or dare!" Sakura said through a mouthful of chocolate._

"_It's because good friends never leave their friends behind." Tenten smiled at her._

"On signet dadeip ed sol euq neriuq emramitsal!"

_What is most precious to you?_

Konoha's forest.

"_I was waiting for you." Gaara stood up and got closer to Sadako. "I need to tell you something."_

"_I've missed my little sister so much." Itachi rested his forehead on top of her head._

"_I… I only… you…" Gaara walked ever closer. "How… what… what does… love… feel like?"_

"_It's ok, Sad-chan. Onii-san is here." Itachi soothed. "I would never let anyone hurt you, never."_

Sasuke's face, his smile. Nothing in this world could compare to the joy she felt every time she saw her reflection in his eyes.

"O sulcni is ose acifingis euq ognet euq roirom!"

The last sentence. The ritual was complete.

Chakra escaped her body in massive amounts. Her body hardened so much that she just couldn't move anymore.

Life was abandoning her. A sacrifice for those whom she loved.

Rearing its head, the Ice Dragon unleashed a mighty roar that echoed throughout the whole land. To Sadako, it sounded far away.

Memories bumped into one another inside her head.

Sasuke sweeping her off her feet. Ino handing her a pink rose. Naruto offering her some cotton candy. The fight against Sakura and Sasuke feeling proud of her. Bumping into Gaara in the streets of Konoha. The fun at Hinata's sleep over. Gaara and her first kiss at Konoha's forest. Itachi's return and his love for her. Sasuke trying to save her from Itachi. The ice cram stand and a cat in the box. Gaara kissing her at the front door.

Such beautiful memories. These, at least, could not be taken away from her.

The dragon hovered above her head as the sound ninja tripped onto one another, trying to get away from such horror as fast as possible.

Ground shook and sky darkened. Hail as big as baseballs fell from the sky.

It was apocalypse raining down on them.

Sadako's sight failed, everything was as if behind a thick glass. But there was a person standing before her, and this one she could make out clearly.

"Sensei…" Tears ran down her cheeks again, but she was not sad.

"You did it my little doll." Kori smiled at Sadako, her green eyes sparkling with joy. "I'm so proud of you."

"I haven't defeated them yet."

"The dragon will take care of them; your mission here is done." She held out her hand. "Come now, it's time to go."

Sadako reached out her hand, as stiff and heavy as it was. There was no pain now, no suffering or regret.

Cold air blasted off the dragon's throat, the attack was sheer cold.

Sadako's tears, along with her being and the entire Land of Snow, completely froze over…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gaara sat alone under the statue of Blind Justice, he had come here to think. He was worried, and for a good reason.

Earlier in the morning, Temari had found Kuromaru dead on the couch. No problem, he could just go out and buy a new one but seeing how Temari was crying so hard, he figured this was serious.

How would Sadako react towards this news? It was her cat after all. If she cried half as bad as Temari did, he would be in real trouble.

Gaara didn't want to see her cry, much less break her heart but there wasn't much to do about it.

He couldn't just find a similar cat and pretend nothing had happened, Sadako was no idiot and she would find out right away.

"Guess I have no choice but to tell her the truth." He decided. "And make sure to buy her a new one. One that doesn't die."

A crumbling sound came from over his head. He jumped away just in time to avoid being crushed by a falling piece of statue.

"What's this?" He looked up.

Blind Justice's right arm, the one holding the balance, had fallen apart.

Something was not right.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Vianey: So sad…_

_Glacia: What are you talking about? You're the one who decided Sadako should die._

_Ten: We all did. We all agree that happy endings aren't our thing._

_Vianey: And a quick note here, the "Waking The Dragon Ritual Thing"…_

_Ten: Sounds like Yu-Gi-Oh!_

_Vianey: Asides from that… I want to state very clearly that there are NO subliminal or "Satanic" messages in there (please…), if you read carefully, it's just Spanish written backwards (yet again)._

_Glacia: Hmp, only because you don't speak Latin…_

_Vianey: It's the best I could do, how about a little acknowledgement here! _

_Ten: Aw, this story started so sweet. When exactly did it turn out like this?_

_Glacia: Somewhere between chapter 7 or 8._

_Ten: Angry readers, repeat after me "I will not flame this chapter, I will not flame this chapter."_

_Vianey: __My biggest apologies for __**Hinata11235**__ and __**FalLinG-wiTh-FAiT**_ _(Gaara will be in the next chapter, so please don't kill us)._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	25. 25 There And Back Again

_Such a long chapter… get bored by just looking at it but it was impossible to divide it into two. _

_Yes, we stole this chapter's name from Bilbo Baggins book in "The Lord Of The Rings". So what? Sue us… not really we don't have an attorney. _

_Oh, and this is not the last chapter either. The next one is._

_For __**scentlesstsubaki **__and __**LuLuSi227**__ who were impatiently waiting, this one goes for you._

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**There And Back Again.**

_I love you. _Sadako mouthed.

Two seconds later, they were standing in the Hokage's office.

Back to Konoha, warm and safe. Home at last.

As soon as Sasuke was released, he turned to Tenten and grabbed her by the neck of her jacket.

"Get me back!" He ordered. "Get me back, now!"

"Sasuke, I…" There was fear in her eyes as she spoke to him.

"You get me back this instant!" He shook her. "Or I swear I'll…"

"What?" Neji asked, stepping in between them. "You think more violence will solve this? You heard what your sister said, she wants us out of the way."

"You can't expect me to just lay back and do nothing about it!" He said, his chest heaving with rage.

The door burst open and Tsunade stepped inside, her eyes alive in joy at the sight of them.

Unfortunately, they weren't all that happy to see her.

"You!" Before she could even open her mouth to say something, Sasuke stomped her way. Blood rushing up his head, making it feel as if it were going to explode. "You knew this was going to happen! You sent my sister to her grave!"

"I'm sorry, but…" Tsunade looked truthfully ashamed.

"But what? You're going to tell me it was a necessary sacrifice?"

"It was the only way to save Konoha." She said, trying to justify her actions.

"Fine, Konoha will be saved but you must take me to her!"

"Sadako has probably destroyed the other scroll already." Tenten explained. "There is no going back now."

"Besides, we can't afford to loose you." Tsunade added.

"Why, because I'm an Uchiha?" He asked. "Well, so was Sadako! Yet you gave her up just like that, as if her life weren't worth a thing!"

"I didn't give her up!" Tsunade shook her head. "You know, as well as every one of your teammates, that Sadako's life was already coming to an end."

Gasps and wide eyes received her words.

"How… do you know that?"

"You brought her to the hospital once, remember?"

"The day she stepped on makibishi." Sasuke remembered.

"That day, I found something very odd about her. You wouldn't notice it yourself but something about her blood was not normal. That, and her unusual ability to withstand pain were rather disturbing." She explained. "I conducted some research, but it was nothing like I've seen before. The blood solidified into ice, her body was self-destructing."

"Couldn't you've done something about it?" Sakura asked. "Was there no cure?"

"Not even I could find one." Tsunade answered. "And then the invasion started. The scroll, the Land of Snow, Sadako was linked to it all. She could either die as an outsider ninja or become a hero to Konoha."

"Well that's a very nice gesture of you." Sasuke clenched his fists. "But I don't think I appreciate it that much." He pushed past Tsunade and walked to the door.

Whatever she told him would not make him feel better. Anything she did could not fill the emptiness he felt inside.

He walked fast, trying to avoid people's stares. His head down all the time, he didn't wanted them to see the tears in his eyes.

All he wanted was to be alone, away form everyone and everything.

He finally reached his house and rushed inside but, as soon as the door was closed behind him, he completely fell to pieces.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Action or drama?" Kankuro asked while holding two movies before Gaara's face.

"Uh…"

Temari suddenly rushed into the room.

"Oh, hey Temari!" Kankuro grinned, hiding the drama behind his back. "Thought you were in Konoha."

"Are you okay?" Gaara asked, noticing her hair was all messed up and she was out of breath and sweaty, as if she had ran home all the way from Konoha.

She had, in fact.

"Gaara…" She breathed out holding her chest. "I saw… I saw Shikamaru this morning."

"So what?" Kankuro asked, putting the movies back on the shelf.

"Idiot…" Temari coughed. "If he's back, then that means… Sadako is too…"

Gaara's eyes widened, but he didn't move an inch.

"What are you waiting for?" She pulled him off the couch and pushed him to the door. "Go see her! Go, go, go!"

Gaara walked out, not before giving his sister a death glare.

"I hope you're this enthusiastic when **I **get a girlfriend." Kankuro told her.

"C'mon, Kankuro!" Temari laughed. "We both know that's never going to happen!"

"Only 'cause no one's good enough for me, okay?" He threw two new movies at her. "Now shut up and pick one!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sadako was not home, she wasn't anywhere. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

"I'm sorry." Tsunade looked away. "Uchiha Sadako was reported as… killed in action."

Gaara felt something go '_snap' _inside his head as the sanity he'd been struggling to keep these past years began to wash away.

Someone **had **to die.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was way past noon when he finally woke up.

"Oooowww." He moaned, slowly forcing himself onto a sitting position. "My head."

His neck was strained, a consequence for falling asleep on the couch. His head hurt like hell and his eyes were puffy red with dark rings under them.

Sasuke slowly got to his feet, not wanting to make any sudden movements or else his eyes might pop out of their sockets.

He headed for the bathroom, dragging his feet miserably as he walked. He was still dressed when he got under the shower, cold water helping him regain his senses. He stayed there for a while, until the throbbing in his head eased a bit.

Someone knocked on the front door but Sasuke didn't bother himself in answering. He wanted to be alone and, besides, he knew exactly who it was.

"Sasuke!" Sure enough, it was Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun!" And Sakura was with him.

Great.

"Sasuke, open up!" Naruto banged on the door. "We brought you lunch!"

Sasuke heaved out a deep sigh. Maybe if he stayed in the shower they would eventually grow bored and leave.

Five minutes later, they were still banging on his door.

"C'mon Sasuke, we know you're in there!"

"Please Sasuke-kun, I made it myself!"

God, they were persistent!

It had been almost a week now since they'd returned form the Land of Snow. A week since Sadako's death.

During that time, he'd received a handful of unwanted and rather annoying visitors, all of them with grief stricken faces and dark clothes. Some brought flowers, others food and some had even offered him a shoulder to cry on.

He always turned them down, of course.

Idiots all of them, just a bunch of imbeciles! Couldn't they understand that all he wanted was to be left alone? He didn't need their comfort, or their stupid sympathy, he didn't need their concern either!

What he needed was Sadako, and she was not coming back.

Due to this attitude and bitter words, such visitors became less and less common, until they finally stopped coming at all. Naruto and Sakura were the only ones that remained.

They came twice each day, both at lunch and dinner time. Sometimes it was only Naruto and most of the time it was both of them, that was when things got even more annoying. Just like today.

_Bang, bang, bang!_

"Sasuke!" Would they ever leave?

Sasuke peeled off his drenched clothes and carelessly threw them on a corner, not bothering to squeeze the water out of them first. Lately, everything was too much of a drat for him.

His house was a complete mess because he suddenly found it too much of an effort to clean up after himself. The floor was covered in old wrappers and empty soda cans because throwing them anywhere was easier than walking to the trash can. Random piles of clothes were found here and there, it was really hard to tell if they were clean or dirty. The kitchen was decorated with maggoty dirty dishes and a three-day-old cereal bowl that he'd attempted to eat and failed because eating, too, had become too much of a challenge.

It looked a lot like Naruto's house now and he knew it. He just couldn't bring himself into caring.

A sound as that of a window opening was heard from downstairs.

"Please, don't let it be…"

_Thump!_

The sound of something landing heavily on the floor and Naruto complaining about how much it hurt. The were in now, they had actually broken into his house.

He heard them looking for him in the first floor, then Naruto running up the stairs, tripping, getting up again and reaching the second floor.

"Saaaasukeeee." Naruto called out in a singing voice. "Where aaare yooouuu."

"In the shower." He sighed. "Just shut up and wait a minute."

He reached out into the nearest pile and pulled out a faded gray T-shirt and some baggy shorts. Were these clean? Did they look good?

He couldn't care any less.

His personal appearance was greatly unattended to as well, not so much because it was a drat, but mostly because he couldn't bear the thought of looking into a mirror.

He was afraid of his own reflection. Afraid of gazing into it and finding his resemblance to Sadako there.

He reached for his tooth brush being careful to avoid the mirror as he did so. Sasuke pulled the tooth brush out of the cup it was in, examined it carefully, then put it back on the cup.

Wrong again. That was Sadako's toot brush, not his.

He pulled out his own and brushed his teeth lazily, this, at least, he hadn't forgotten to do.

"Hurry up!" Naruto urged. "The food's gonna get cold!"

"Don't you know it's illegal to break into someone else's house?" Sasuke asked, finally coming out. "I should have you arrested for this."

"Well, if it's a crime to worry about your friends…" Naruto said in a victimized tone. "Then I am guilty as charged."

"Whatever." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Where's Sakura anyways?"

"Waiting for us downstairs."

They sat on the living room floor, Sasuke on one side and Naruto and Sakura on the other. The food was displayed over a pink table-clothe between them.

Onigiri… at least it wasn't ramen again.

"Come on." Sakura said, almost pushing the things into his mouth. "Eat up."

Eve thou he wasn't hungry, Sasuke grabbed one and took a bite. It tasted like dirt inside his mouth.

"You like it?" She asked, her eyes full of hope.

Sasuke merely shrugged as if saying "It gives the same". He took a sip of the herbal tea they'd brought, but it was watery and insipid.

Naruto, on the other hand, was happily stuffing one rice ball after another in his mouth.

The problem was not the food, it was him. Eating was not something he enjoyed lately, the sole thought of doing it made him sick. He only ate because they were always forcing him to.

Sasuke had almost persuaded himself into taking another bite when Naruto spoke up.

"So…" He began nervously. Sakura seemed almost as uneasy as he was. "We're having a mission today, how about you come?"

"I've already told you." He set the food down, now convinced that he wasn't finishing it. "I'm not doing any more missions."

"Never again?" Sakura gasped.

"I didn't say that, I just think it's better if I stay clear from missions for a while."

"So that's what you want? You want to stay here rotting in your misery and feeling sorry for yourself?" Naruto stood up angrily. "Have you even looked into a mirror lately? You look like a beggar, for God's sake! What is wrong with you, you're but the shadow of your former self!"

"What is wrong with me? What is **wrong** with me?" Sasuke stood up too, his eyes blazing in rage. "The question is, what is wrong with **you**? My sister just died, why can't you shit heads understand that all I fucking want is to be left alone?"

"We just want to help." Sakura broke into tears.

Why did she even bother crying? Her tears had never worked on him, and they never would.

"You didn't have to be so rude." Naruto said, as if there were another way of making them understand. "Fine, we'll leave. Just make sure you eat properly and feel free to join us if you feel like it."

As he was talking, a fat mouse scampered across the floor right before them. They quietly followed it with their eyes until it disappeared through a hole in the wall.

"You might want to set up some mouse traps too." He suggested. "Let's go, Sakura-Chan."

Naruto headed for the front door with a teary-eyed Sakura following closely behind.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them. He had no reason to feel guilty because he knew that, even thou they were pretending to be offended, they would probably be back tomorrow. They always did.

He sat back on the couch staring blankly ahead, his fingers fidgeting with the locket around his neck.

"A mission, huh?" The thought swirled inside his head. Maybe a mission would help him feel better, or at least keep him distracted for a while.

But something about it didn't feel right. Sadako had died not even a week ago and acting a s if nothing had happened would be like an insult to her memory. Remaining in mourning was not something he enjoyed, but he felt like he owed it to his sister.

All the weeping in this world could, of course, not pay up for her sacrifice and it wouldn't bring her back. Yet still he wept, if only just to show her that he did cared.

Even if he didn't have a grave to cry on.

He was still pondering upon his feelings when suddenly, there was a loud boom and a crumbling sound. Sasuke went flying off the couch without knowing why and crashed hard against the nearest wall.

Instinctively he jumped to his feet, but there was no longer solid ground under them. He was suspended in mid air, completely immobilized.

During these past few days, Sasuke had faced many demons. Those that came with guilt, regret and loneliness. Those who lived inside him.

But as he hung there, with sand surrounding him everywhere, he faced the eyes of a true demon.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Sabaku Kyuu." Gaara held his hand up before him, trapping Sasuke in his dreaded sand coffin.

_Kill him. _Shukaku stirred inside him. _You know you want to._

"You were her brother." He said in a low voice that shook with anger. "You were supposed to protect her." Gaara gnashed his teeth, pain turning into anger. "But you failed. You let them take her away!"

Sasuke groaned in pain as the sand imprisoning him tightened even more. Gaara could hear Shukaku laughing on the back of his head.

"Give me a reason not to kill you." There was a murderous tone in his voice. Every word was stained with blood thirst. "A reason not to burry you alive."

Sasuke's eyes widened in fear. Burying him alive was something Gaara could easily do, and he was more than willing to do it.

Still, for someone who was about to die, the Uchiha seemed a little more than resigned. He wasn't trying to break free or begging for his life like he should, it was as if death was something he was hopping for.

This wasn't entertaining.

_I don't need a reason! _Shukaku screeched. _It's his blood I want!_

But Gaara didn't listen, he was having troubles of his own. Sabaku Sousou… Sabaku Taiso… which one would suit him better?

"I have none." Sasuke said after a long silence. "And I expect no forgiveness. Kill me if you want, you'll be doing me a favor. That way, at least, I might be able to join her."

"As you wish." He answered coldly.

Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, hoping his death wouldn't be too painful.

"Sabaku Sou…"

"Wait!" Sasuke's eyes flew open, as if he'd suddenly remembered something important. "Her head band!"

"What?" Gaara held himself back.

"Her head band, she wanted you to have it." He explained. "It's behind you, over the coffee table."

Gaara slowly turned himself around and there, over a wooden coffee table, glistening faintly under the dim light, was Sadako's head band.

The sand around Sasuke crumbled away as Gaara reached out for the head band with shaky hands. He held it before his face, his own sad eyes staring back from the metallic plate where the snow flake was engraved.

Sanity came back in a rush as his anger was replaced by pain. Pain and despair.

From the back of his head, Shukaku hissed menacingly, then it finally went silent.

"She… how did she…" Gaara fought to swallow the lump in his throat. "Why did she not come back?"

Amid sobs and tears, Sasuke quickly explained everything. Gaara wasn't sure of what shocked him the most.- the way Sadako had died, or the fact that Sasuke was crying.

"She left a message for you, along with her head band." Sasuke informed.

"What did she say?" Gaara blinked rapidly. No way he was crying in front of Sasuke.

"She said 'yes'."

Gaara stared blankly at him, was it possible that he had mistaken Sadako's words? He must have, or else the message would be different. Of al the things in the world, why would she settle for a mere 'yes'?

"Are you sure that's what she said?"

"That's all she said." Sasuke shrugged. "She said that every time she saw you, there was a question in your eyes that you never asked out loud. Her answer is yes."

Gaara's eyes widened, tears flowing out of them like an open tap. His heart bled as if it were torn, each beat caused him immeasurable pain.

He dropped to his knees, holding the head band against his chest. Uncontrollable sobs escaped his lips ash he remembered the question he hadn't been brave enough to ask. Why **had **he not asked her?

"What was it that you didn't ask?"

Gaara took a deep breath, knowing his voice would be unintelligible unless he calmed himself down a bit.

"Do you love me?" He finally said. His voice came out thin and broken. "Every time I saw her, every time she smiled. Do you love me, Sadako? I couldn't… I wasn't brave enough to…"

He broke up here, tears choking his words. He hated himself for not asking her while there was still a chance, but he'd been too afraid of what she might answer.

What he had… what **they **had was something so beautiful, so… perfect, that it just didn't seem real. It was all like a dream come true and he knew that, had she said no, his heart would be broken beyond repair.

It was perhaps out of selfishness that he'd kept quiet, because she made him so happy that he just didn't wanted to wake up.

Yet Sadako was smart, even smarter than he'd ever fancied her to be. She had seen through his eyes and found the question there. She was even nice enough to provide him with an answer.

Too bad he couldn't look into her eyes as she said it. Too bad he couldn't hold her and tell her how much he loved her.

Too bad it was now too late.

"I never approved of you being together." Sasuke told him, offering a hand to help him stand up. "But it was nothing personal, I hope you understand."

Gaara looked at him, he seemed just as devastated as he was. His appearance was terrible too.

"No, I don't." Ignoring Sasuke's hand, he stood up. "When it comes to my sister's life, I'd rather not interfere."

Gaara wiped the tears off his eyes. There would be plenty of time to cry later, right now he had to get out of this place.

He didn't have to kill Sasuke, now that Shukaku was gone he could see that it wasn't his fault. Besides, it was more than clear that Sasuke was already sabotaging himself.

Gaara tied Sadako's head band on the strap across his chest. Right next to his own head band, the one he never wore.

Gathering the sand back in his gourd he turned around and, without a word, without even apologizing, he walked out through the hole he'd made on Sasuke's wall.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Day turned to night and Sasuke still sat in his living room. Thought flitted through his mind, vague ideas without beginning or end.

One moment he was full of energy and tried to fix the hole on the wall, the next he was overwhelmed by grief and cried until the feeling of happiness came back again. He was either loosing it, or Sakura's food had something funny in it.

As some point he walked near a window and suddenly felt the maniac impulse of looking out through it, for no good reason at all. He drew the curtains back but was regarded by a hideous sight.

Gaping at him from the other side was what at first he imagined to be a ghost, a pale skinned monster with sunken eyes. It took him a while to realize that it was no more than his own reflection against the glass.

"Holly shit…" He stared at his reflection for a while.

No, he didn't look like Sadako at all. There was no resemblance to her whatsoever. He didn't even look like himself anymore.

Not only did he seem to have lost a couple of pounds, he also had an ill and feverish appearance. His skin was death pale, his eyes red-rimmed and lifeless and his hair was greatly disheveled, sticking out of his head in a disarranged mess.

"Sasuke-kun…" Someone called from behind him.

Was it Sakura? No. Had it been her, he wouldn't have felt so stupid.

"Hinata!" He turned to her, trying to smooth the hair in place with his hands.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes looking nervously at the crumbling wall and the upturned furniture.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had wanted.

"Ah…" Hinata flinched, shrinking and using her arms as a barrier between them. In her hands she held a small lunch box wrapped in a lavender cloth. "N-Naruto-kun… a m-mission and… he asked me t-to bring you this…"

She stretched her arms out, offering the lunch box to Sasuke. She trembled as he stepped closer, her white eyes avoiding him.

"Thank you." It smelled good. Sasuke suddenly felt hungry. "Naruto's and idiot, isn't he?"

"What?"

"To bother you with such things." He shook his head. "We're not even in the same team."

"I could have said no." Hinata fidgeted with her fingers. "But I was… worried."

"No offence but, like I said before, I don't need anyone to worry about me." He sat on the floor, leaning against the upturned couch. "Regardless of how bad I might seem to be."

"You will probably yell at me for this…" How come she wasn't stuttering now? "But you can say what you want and do what you want, it still won't stop us from caring. I know it might seem like being alone is the best solution, but it's not. Friends can help you get through it and… and…" She smiled sadly. "I wish I had had friends when mother died. It hurts much more when you cry alone."

"I don't want friends." He fought to keep his tears back. It would suck if he cried before Hinata now. "I want my sister." Apparently he didn't have enough will power, because tears were streaming down his face again. "I want her back."

He didn't know how it happened, or when exactly did it happen, but one moment he was crying like an idiot, and the next he had Hinata's arms around his neck.

She couldn't… no, was she… hugging him?

A mere demonstration of friendly affection, with no other purpose than to make him feel better. And it worked.

He suddenly had the sick idea of crying some more just so she wouldn't let go of him. But no, he still had some dignity left.

"What am I to do now if she's not here?" He asked.

"I don't know." Hinata pulled away, although she was still fairly close. "But I know what you shouldn't do and its' staying here on your own. Sadako wouldn't have wanted you to spend your life crying for her."

"But I owe it to her."

"No, she saved us. We all owe our lives to her, not our pain or tears. If you really want to thank her and show your gratitude, then live your life and make the most you can of it." She fixed a strand of hair that was sticking out of Sasuke's head. "Don't you think that's what she wants?"

"You're right." Sasuke nodded. How come he hadn't thought of that before? "That's what she wants."

Hinata smiled at him. That was all he needed to completely feel better.

"I have to go now." She said.

But he didn't listen, he was too busy looking at her. She was so close and she smelled oh, so good, that a strange (if not stupid) thought crossed his mind.

If Sadako and Gaara had been able to write their love story, why couldn't Hinata and he have their own? Yeah, she was Naruto's girl. So what? That could easily change.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. What a stupid idea!

He wasn't thinking straight when he slid his hand behind her neck and gently pulled her closer. He felt her stiffen, perhaps paralyzed in fear, but she didn't back away, nor did he let go of her.

He gently pulled her closer, closer still, until she was so close he could feel her breath against his face. He leaned forward, his lips brushed against her beautiful lips…

And that was where she screamed.

It was more like a soft yelp, but that, combined with the hard Juuken blow she used to push him away from her made her answer more than clear.

"H-How can you… and N-Naruto-kun… he's you-your friend and…" She was a vibrant red now, either from anger or embarrassment. Or both. "You… you… idiot!"

"Hinata, I'm sorry." He wasn't. "I don't know what…"

"I have to go now!" She ran out clumsily, using the door even thou there was a gaping hole right next to it.

That was a total failure, and his chest hurt because of the blow. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but to smile to himself.

"I just had to try." He said out loud, as if there were someone else in the room with him. "Fine, I'll do it your way. I'll stop crying and feeling miserable but you can't keep me from missing you. What else do you want me to do Sadako?"

Almost as in answer, a faint light twinkled form under a small table. Sasuke walked closer to it and pulled out his head band, he had thrown it there the day he came back.

"Ok, ok." He smiled and tied it on his forehead, where it belonged.

Tomorrow, he decided, he'll be back to his normal self. Not only that, he would be better, because he owed it to Sadako.

That was **if **Naruto didn't kill him first. He seriously had to find a good excuse for trying to kiss his girlfriend.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"It's not fair." Temari said sadly, looking at Gaara from the distance. "He doesn't deserve this."

"But what can we do?" Kankuro asked.

They stood silent there, not daring to move. Observing helplessly as Gaara cried inconsolably, once again, under the statue of Blind Justice.

Why had the Uchiha girl died? The one that Gaara loved. Why was she the only one who didn't come back?

Gaara didn't deserve this. He deserved happiness, not more pain.

Kankuro and Temari stood there as he cried. Just like all the other times they'd seen him and wanted.

Wanted to hug him, but were ashamed. Wanted to comfort him, but were afraid.

"Let's go Temari." Kankuro pulled at her sleeve. "He's better off alone."

"No, not this time." With long strides, Temari walked decidedly to Gaara. Kankuro followed behind her.

They stopped right next to him, unsure of what to do next. Gaara lifted his face and looked at them with those sad, teary green eyes that could have molten anyone's heart.

Temari's heart broke. His little brother, such a helpless little boy. She didn't think twice before swinging her arms around him, even if it cost her life.

But Gaara did nothing, he just buried his face against her shoulder.

Kankuro joined in the embrace and for a long while, they stayed like that. They did nothing, said nothing, they just held each other.

Temari lifted her eyes to the statue behind them. If there was such thing as justice in this world, it surely was blind.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Ten: Oh, so __**that's **__what the yes was for…_

_Vianey: Yeah ,that's what the yes was for. Don't you ever listen when I talk about the plots?_

_Ten: Should I?_

_Glacia: Well, considering how you are one of the three authors, I would say __**yes you should!**_

_Vianey: Usually we use this space to thank the readers but this chapter is already too long, so we'll do it on the next one. Just a quick thank here to __**LuLuSi227 and scentlesstsubaki **__who have been the first ones ever to double review a chapter. Thank you girls, we love you. Yes, in a friend way! Why is it that every time we tell a reader "We love you" they answer "I love you too… in a friend way". Like, what other way could there possibly be?_

_Ten: *whispers something into Vianey's ear*_

_Vianey: Ohhh! Ok, no. Not that way! Especially since it seems that most (if not all) of our readers are girls… _

_Glacia: And an apology to some readers. I know we mentioned Itachi would be in this chapter but… with Gaara and Hinata… there wasn't enough space._

_Vianey: We should add a "Sasuke's Twin Deleted Scenes" chapter. That would be cool._

_Ten: You write it, I want to actually have a life._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	26. 26 The Last Chapter

_Finally, after almost thre__e years of publishing this story, the last chapter is here. Not a long chapter and not a necessary one either, but ever since we started writing, we knew that "This" was how it had to end._

_We apologize in advance for any mistakes we might have made, as well as we apologize for the extensive author's notes this chapter contains. In our defense, we'll claim that author's notes are the only way to show our gratitude for all the support our wonderful readers have provided during the whole story._

_I'll be shutting up now to let you read. Please review, that would be nice._

_**Warning: **__Author's are still hateful bitches, so happy endings are bitter-sweet at best._

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

"**The Last Chapter"**

"We're here!" The captain announced, as if I hadn't noticed that already.

I jumped off the ship, not wanting to spend a minute longer on board. I thought I would land on my feet but they sank in the soft snow, making me loose my balance.

Shit, I had forgotten that!

I heard the sailors laugh behind me as I shook the snow away from my clothes, my face burning in humiliation. They kept on laughing for a while longer but I paid them no mind, I had more important things to worry about.

One of them, was finding the "Kunoichi of Ice".

"So here I am again." I sighed, breath puffing up before me. "The Land of Snow."

Frozen hell. A place for pain and misery. Those were the only words that came to my mind, every time I thought of this place.

"_No Sadako, don't do it! Don't do this to me!"_

For years on end my dreams had brought me back here, condemning me to relive that dreaded day over and over, as if in a reminder that I could do nothing to save her.

_Sadako… Sadako…_

Countless nights I had repeated her name in my sleep, apologizing again and again for the fate I could not prevent.

The guilt faded over the years, dreams leaving with them as well. Still, I could not bring myself into forgetting her. Not entirely.

I had willed myself not to talk about her. Not to think about her. But she was always there in the back of my mind.

"Do you even know where you're going?" One of the sailors called after me when I was a good distance away from the ship.

"Sure." I point to a mountain on the distance, the only one I knew how to recognize.

And how could I not? It had been in my dreams more times than I care to count.

"The Cursed Mountain?" His eyes widened in fear. "No, you don't want to go there!"

"Said who?" I kept on walking.

"You don't understand!" He ran after me. "It has that name for a reason, there's even a legend about it. Perhaps you haven't heard of it, but they say that…"

"I know." I answered dryly. "That's why I'm here."

Ten years now. Ten years after I'd lost her.

And just when I had convinced myself that there was no hope, when I had almost managed to forget everything, that legend reached Konoha.

It told of a far away land covered in snow and a frozen mountain in which, they said, lived a young girl whose body was entirely made of ice. Many had climbed what was now known as the "Cursed Mountain" to find her, but there was said to be a beast guarding her day and night.

Those who did get to see her were supposedly turned into ice statues and placed at the mountain's foot as a warning for others.

As ridiculous as the legend was, it instantly caught my attention. The reason was obvious.

A far away land covered in snow had to be the Land of Snow and the so called "Cursed Mountain" no other than Dragon Pike Mountain. Those ice statues at the mountain's foot must be the Sound Ninja she defeated and I also had a good idea of who that beast was.

There was no doubt about it. The one they called the "Kunoichi of Ice" **had **to be her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Reaching the mountain's top took longer than I remembered, or it might have been my eagerness to get there as fast as possible.

At last I was close enough to see the dragon's head. Despite the numbness in my legs, I willed myself to run even faster.

Almost there. I was almost there.

Someone stood before the dragon's head. Someone with a body I could see right through.

It was her, no doubt.

Almost there, I had almost reached her… and then the beast blocked my path.

Its frighteningly sharp teeth were revealed as a deep roar erupted from its chest. The roar was so potent it almost knocked me off my feet.

"Back away." It growled threateningly. "Back away."

"Hello Yukiko." I said without moving "Remember me?"

"Don't know you." Was I just imagining it, or had it grown over the years? The look in its eyes as it stared at me was also different, angrier… "Never seen you."

"But you have!" Fear suddenly took over me. I had to make the tiger remember, or else my name would be written in today's menu. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, we fought together against the Sound Ninja."

"Brother?" The look in its eyes changed from anger to recognition.

"Sadako's brother, yes." I sighed with relief.

"It's been years. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same think."

"They can't see her." Yukiko wrinkled its nose in anger. "They won't take her, not as long as I'm here. You won't take her either!"

Take her? Yukiko was protecting Sadako, it as afraid of someone taking her away but, why? Did that mean Sadako couldn't protect herself?

Something told me there was a great mistake in the legend I'd heard.

"I won't take her away." I promised. "I just want to see her."

The tiger frowned at me, then began passing back and forth, as if unsure of what to do.

"Don't bother my master, she sleeps." It finally said, reluctantly stepping aside.

The few hopes I had of speaking to her were blown away with the cold wind.

"Don't touch her." Yukiko warned as I made my way to Sadako's side. "She's fragile. She breaks."

The legend was but a lie, I knew it all along. Still, I couldn't hide my disappointment.

Why had I returned to that place? What was I expecting to find there? Why was I so stupid as to believe that she could still be there. Still alive.

But at least I got to see her one last time, so I guess it was worth it.

She looked exactly like the last time I'd seen her, despite all the years that had passed. It was a horrible sight, yet a beautiful one at the same time, because it was my sister standing before me, but it was also my sister's lifeless body that had turned to ice.

She stood there, one of her arms was outstretched and her eyes seemed to be fixed far into the distance, as if seeing something that I could not.

My heart ached as I noticed the frozen tears on her cheeks, yet no matter how bad I felt, I couldn't cry anymore.

It had been years since I ran out of tears.

I reached out my hand to touch hers but, remembering Yukiko's warning, decided not to.

"Hey Sadako." I said, as If she could hear me. "It's me, Onii-san." I had meant to say Sasuke, but the word "Onii-san" came out for some reason. "Mind if I sit there for a while? I had a rather long trip just to come visit you." I smiled at her, as if she could actually see me. "With all the technology they have these days, you'd think they would build faster ships but it still takes around ten months and a half to get here."

As I sat there talking like and idiot, I realized there were many things I wanted to tell her. Not the story of how I spent the last months in a stinking ship with greasy old sailors, not. I wanted to tell her about Konoha, of all that happened since she left.

Hopefully my words would reach her. Wherever she was.

"I can't believe it's been ten years." I began. "Did you know there's a legend about you? It's so famous it spreads all the way to Konoha, too bad it's all a lie. You're pretty famous in Konoha too because Tsunade ordered a ceremony in your honor and even had your name written in the memorial stone, when she was still the Hokage…"

"The new Hokage is…" I paused to laugh, I just couldn't help it. It was so stupid it still stroke me as a joke. "Naruto is the new Hokage, could you believe that? I still don't know how he did it, one instant he was shouting "I will become Hokage-dattebayo!" and the next thing I know, Konoha is under his command."

"Seeing the idiot he is, I always thought he would end up mopping the floors somewhere for a living, or choke on ramen and die, or simply fall into a pit and disappear. But to think he **actually** became Hokage is… well, it could be worse, thou I can't imagine how."

"Speaking of Naruto, I had almost forgotten." I dug into my backpack and pulled out a bag of cotton candy. "He sends you this, but it's probably stale by now."

I set the bag at her feet, still feeling like and idiot. But the thing was, I only had a day before having to go back to that filthy ship and I didn't want to spend it sitting there in silence. It also made me feel better somehow.

"Naruto got married about five years ago. That was before he became Hokage, so it would have been a simple wedding… were he not marrying the heir of one of Konoha's greatest clans. It wasn't an easy thing to do, thou. Sakura and I were dragged forth as witnesses the day he asked for her hand. Poor Naruto got kicked out that day and beaten up the days that followed. At last he challenged Hinata's father and somehow came out alive, earning the right to marry her."

"The Hyuugas took great pride in throwing an ostentatious celebration, I'm talking about chocolate fountains, crystal ornaments and expensive varieties of flowers everywhere. I guess it was a good thing they interfered. If it were left to Naruto to plan everything, they would have probably married outside Ichiraku Ramen with a piñata as the main diversion."

"I had been planning to skip on it, parties are not something I really enjoy. But then that idiot Naruto came to me one day and asked me to be his best man, just like that. Of course I refused, no way I was downgrading myself in such way. He then asked and begged and rolled on the floor and poked at my head and put up a dramatic scene until I agreed to do it if he could just shut the hell up!"

"Kiba was fuming because he wanted to be the best man himself and I could tell Shino was angry too, but it's not like it was my fault."

"They have children now. It's strange, but they had twins. Two girls. Barely three years old and yet annoying as hell. They're but mischievous little blue-eyed creatures with golden hair, definitely Naruto's offspring. They always cling to my legs and pierce my ears with their screechy laughter while calling me uncle Sasuke, I hate it when they call me that! Naruto still calls me Sasuke-teme and Hinata, well, she hasn't called me anything for a long time."

I coughed, deciding to skip that part. Hinata had a good reason for avoiding me, but Sadako didn't have to know that and I certainly didn't want to tell her. Good thing she never told Naruto about it.

"Anyways." Cough. "He's not the only one who has achieved a prestigious title. About a year after you left us, Gaara became the Kazekage of Suna. You probably didn't know this, but the former Kazekage was also Gaara's father, so I guess it was only logical that he was the best candidate."

"I've seen him a couple of times in Konoha, when he was things to discuss with Naruto, but we never talk to each other. I'm not sure if you'll be happy to hear this or not, but Gaara got married almost two years ago in a wedding beyond luxury, proper for a person of great importance such as the Kazekage. A wedding to which I, of course, was uninvited."

"But I've seen his wife once or twice and I still don't know if I should feel sorry of mad at him. If you could see her, you would understand what I'm talking about. Black hair, pale skin and dark, sad eyes. She has a great resemblance to you, I'm sure he's just trying to find you in her."

"But she's not you, and she never will. He's only lying to himself. He still carries your headband around, thou. I wonder if it doesn't bother her, or perhaps she doesn't even know what it means to him."

"I don't k now much about relationships, I only… (Cough) I dated Ino for a while… (Cough, cough) it didn't end up well." Another part in history that I wanted to skip. It was easier talking about other people's lives than my own. "But even I know they're not happy. She always walks a few steps behind him and he never talks to her. Come to think of it, he doesn't even look at her."

"It's obvious that he's just trying to fulfill his dead wish of marrying you, but it's not going well. Still, it's not like I should care about it, I only thought you would like to know since, well, you know…"

Silence fell, I had nothing more to say now. My life had been fairly normal these past years and the rest were just a bunch of no ones, nothing interesting there.

I looked up at the sky, the sun was already setting. Had I really talked for so long?

I didn't want to leave, no so soon. A little longer, even if my fingers froze. A little longer, please, even if my face was burnt by the cold.

Once again I felt the urge of clinging to her, of staying by her side even if it meant my life. But I was older, more rational, so this time I could understand that that was that.

The end of the day, time to head back home. I couldn't stay, this wasn't my place. I couldn't take Sadako with me, it was here that she belonged.

"I have to go now." I told her as I stood up. "It's okay now, don't be sad." I carefully ran my fingers down' her cheek, afraid that she might crumble under my touch. "Besides, you won't be alone. You have a great guardian here."

Yukiko was laying some meters away, its eyes were closed but the ears were alert. I didn't have to worry, the tiger's sense of loyalty was strong, even thou its master was long gone.

"I gave Gaara your message." I smiled at her. "He over reacted if you ask me. And as for Itachi… well, I haven't seen him yet. I'm still killing him some day anyway, hope you understand."

The sun finally set, a ghastly moon shone faintly over our heads. I had to go now, whether I liked it or not.

Yukiko shook the snow from its fur and looked at me nervously, perhaps wondering when the hell I was leaving.

"I love you Sadako." I whispered to her. "I really do."

Sighing resignedly, I turned around to leave.

"You're doing a great job Yukiko." I told the tiger as I walked it by. "If anyone dared come near her…"

"You don't have to say." It nodded. "I'll kill anyone who dares touch her. No one can take her away."

As I made my way down the mountain, I turned my head to look at her one last time. Yukiko's imposing body was curled up next to her, guarding her zealously.

I truly had nothing to worry about.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Smoke filled the air as the old ship began moving. It sailed slowly over the chilly waters until the Land of Snow seemed to shrink into the distance.

Dragon Pike Mountain was out of sight now, but I didn't need to see it to know that she was still there. Still standing atop the mountain, just like she stands today.

Uchiha Sadako, the Kunoichi of Ice.

Gaara's Blind Justice.

My sweet little sister…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Glacia: And that was it. We did say it wasn't a happy ending. It wasn't exactly a good one either._

_Vianey: *crying* No, no, no. Why does it have to end?_

_Ten: Because if it didn't, it would end up looking like…_

**Chapter Three Hundred and Eighty-Four**

"**Won't This Ever End?"**

Or something like that.

Vianey: You're right, *sniff* I'm happy to know that a story with a plot so simple and used like "Sasuke's Twin" was able to draw so much attention and make it into lots of "Favorite Story" lists. I'm even prouder to know that there's at least someone out there who actually likes our work.

Ten: And we got over 150 reviews with our first story ever, even thou the first chapters weren't exactly "Extraordinary". Still, I think we managed pretty well, although we did get a couple of bad comments.

Glacia: It can't be helped, but it's perfectly comprehensible. Not every one out there is going to like your story, just like not every single reader is going to praise your work. It's impossible.

Vianey: But we appreciate them taking the time to read and review our story.

Ten: Yeah. 'Cause flames also count as reviews, so there!

Vianey: Anyways. *Cough* We would now like to thank all the readers who ever sent a review. There's nothing in the world that makes me appreciate my own work better, than every time I find a new review.

To.- _**Ajanime, Hinata11235, Lloyd Neruameshi, A Hidden Saint and Sinner, cocogirl198, DemonTwins-Ichigo-Maruki, Lady Malignant, Twixdaman, justanothergaarafangurl,, Imaybesomeone, sakura300000**__, __**PokeMariah, imouto12345, Yoli16, Ninja99**__**, xOxO Lost Angel OxOx,**__** HEY YO-YO, anonymouscat, Girlnaruto99, LuLuSi227, Random Person, Len and fan , .Nicoleta, .Crystal, zfighter, Gaara1016, anonamous, and Random Person.**_

_Thank you. Thank you so much._

_Ten: And now, for the usual readers. The ones that are always there no matter what._

_Vianey: Those for whom we try our best. Those who made our story change from a piece of crap into something fairly good. Without you, I'm sure, we would have stopped writing a long time ago._

_Glacia: Names are listed in alphabetical order. (For no good reason)_

_**Alita n' Emily**__, for reading and reviewing anything our sick mind writes. Also for being there exactly when we need her and putting up with us._

_Vianey: No matter how clingy and annoying I might be._

_Ten. Or how bitchy I get, she never seems to mind… or she does but doesn't say._

___ (or the grammar Nazi XD), for proving to be our most loyal reader ever. For helping us improve our grammar and pointing out the mistakes._

_Ten: Makes me feel like shooting myself every time I see those stupid mistakes that I could have easily changed but just wasn't paying enough attention._

_Glacia: Perhaps you should._

_Ten: Yeah, I'll pay more attention next time._

_Glacia: No, I meant shoot yourself. Just think about it, I would have more space to work, more air to breathe…_

_Ten: __**Air**__ is what your head is full of! Come here so I can beat it out of you!_

_Vianey: Holly! Um… ah… thank you so much __**, **__without you we would be __**even **__more stupid._

_Ten: Let go of my arm you bitch!_

_Glacia: Let go of my hair!_

_Vianey: Next reader, please!_

**FalLinG-wiTh-FAiT**, for being a constant reader, yes. Also for being the only one who has ever mentioned living our Sadako and Gaara pairing.

Vianey: But mostly (And I'm saying it here so **everyone** knows :P) for making a fan art of Sasuke and Sadako! Made me feel so happy I actually cried, it was also really nostalgic. The nicest thing anyone has done for me.

Ten: *shaking dust off her clothes* I thought the nicest thing anyone had done for you was when your boy and his cute friend stuck nails to the mean Spanish teacher's tires just because she failed you, even thou you **did **pass the final exam.

Vianey: Yeah… but it's not really nice if you think about it. They could have gotten in trouble. Back to the fan art, thank you so, so, SO much **FalLinG-wiTh-FAiT. **We appreciate that to no end.

Glacia: *Fixing hair back in place* How about when you showed up to that final without even studying, failed it, and the teacher gave you a good note because she felt sorry for you?

Vianey: Fan art nicest thing. End of story!

**Hey-Yo-Yo**, usually here, usually cool.

Ten: Sorry if you didn't like Sadako's death, these two idiots like drama one bit too much.

**LuLuSi227**, for all the review love and support she sends. Also, your comments make us feel better.

_Vianey: It's okay if you don't want to tell others that you like Naruto or fanfics, we all have secrets, right? I don't tell anyone we write fanfics either, because I just __**know **__they'll laugh._

_Glacia: Your boyfriend did._

_Vianey: Yes, and I cried. Then you slapped him so hard you made __**him **__cry._

_Ten: Whatever! About your idea of us writing a book, well, we do have an original story named "Somebody Else", but it's nothing special. Second rate literature at best._

_Vianey: I'm not sure everything we want to tell you fits here, how about you make an account? That way we can PM you. Oh and, our MSN is in our profile… if you're interested._

_**Redfox-akatsuki**__, for seeing happiness where the rest can only see pain._

_Vianey: Also, I'm glad you understand._

_Glacia: Understand?_

_Ten: Understand what?_

_Vianey: She knows…_

_**Sasuke's Pal**__, fro not minding our annoying PMs._

_Vianey: And for being my pal. _

_Ten: No, my pal._

_Vianey: My pal, I said!_

_Glacia: Dream on, she's __**my**__ pal._

_**Scentlesstsubaki**__, for liking the idea of Sasuke having a twin sister._

_And last but not least, __**XTanshoku**__. For being our fist reader ever, for sticking up with us and not minding our stupidity._

_Vianey: *Pant, pant* And that's it. Ow, my fingers are bleeding T_T_

_Ten: Thank God this story is over already. Too much tragedy and not enough fighting scenes disturb me._

_Vianey: It might not be over yet, Ten. Seriously guys, about the deleted scenes, do you really want them or not? Because that was just a joke but it I get at least 3 positive answers, that chapter __**will **__be published._

_Glacia: Also, please vote in our new poll__ "What should our next story be?". Give it up, you don't write is an option too._

_Ten: That new story list is just a piece of shit, "Game of Fear" is not even in it. _

_Vianey: We already have "Best Friends" as a Naruto horror, we don't need another one._

_Ten: You call that horror? There's not even blood in it! How can that be considered as horror?_

_Vianey: "Game of Fear" is not all that either. You basically want a sick, twisted version of "Saw" with the Naruto characters in it so you can kill them one by one in gory and rather improbable ways._

_Ten: Well basically, yes. I was going to put all the names and causes of death in a box then randomly pull them out each week. Causes of death range from drowning and head cut off to excoriation and baked alive._

_Glacia: º_º Definitely not interested in writing such things._

_Ten: Let's leave it to the readers, then. If I get at least 3 persons saying they want it, I'm writing it with our without your help!_

_Vianey: Lets' make a deal. Get at least __**5**__ and Glacia and I will help you. You're good with blood but not details._

_Ten: Deal. Readers, please vote! It's not a poll option, so please send your answer along with your review._

_But while that happens, we're leaving before your eyes explode. We __**did **__say the author's notes were long, didn't we?_

_The whole team bows before you, probably for the last time in this story._

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


End file.
